Plums and Lemons
by Hilaire
Summary: UPDATED. A Narumi-centric collection. #36 : Partner. "Don't you care what happens to your partner?" Part 4. Madness Arc. Ongoing.
1. Oversleep

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gakuen Alice.**  
Claimer: **This collection is _mine_.**  
**

Because I lack sleep, and I suspect Narumi sleeps more than he should.

* * *

**Plums and Lemons**

a Narumi-centric collection

* * *

**#01:  
Oversleep**

"No wonder half of your students hate you," Misaki commented.  
Narumi raised an eyebrow. "Because I get more sleep than they do?"

* * *

"Did you oversleep again?" Misaki asked as soon as Narumi stepped inside the faculty room. It was a fine Tuesday morning, and the blond teacher was late. As usual.

"Good morning, Misaki," Narumi chirped instead, smiling despite his friend's frown. "I gave Class B a break for their writing assignment."

"You said that last week."

"Oh, did I?" Narumi asked, an innocent, puzzled look crossing his face. "Well then I suppose I should have attended today's class."

"Which you didn't."

"Well."

"Don't you think you should be attending more of your classes, Narumi?"

"Maybe," Narumi said, shrugging as he walked to the coffee percolator in one corner of the room. "All this talk about attending my classes is making me feel sleepy. I really should get more sleep, don't you think, Misaki?"

"I think you get too much of it, Narumi."

"Oh?"

Misaki huffed. "No wonder half of your students hate you."

"I wasn't aware of that," Narumi said, sounding mildly curious as he looked up from the cup of coffee he was fixing for himself. "Because I get more sleep than they do?"

"That's not my point!" Misaki protested. "You don't attend classes you're supposed to, and when you do you give them the most ridiculous schoolwork!"

"Ah." Narumi nodded. "I get what you're saying now."

"I doubt you do."

Narumi smiled. "You're saying I should be more like you – attending my classes, teaching my students, giving them schoolwork…"

Misaki frowned. "Surprisingly, that's about right."

Narumi stirred his coffee, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Misaki, did you know that all your students hate you for that?"

**oversleep.**

* * *

**Hilaire****  
03.03.10**


	2. Courage

After some contemplation, I've decided to make this a collection about Narumi. Since, y'know, that adorable man deserves more stories about him. :)

* * *

**#02:**  
**Courage**

"It took you _one_ minute to answer the essay and you get a higher grade than I do?"  
Misaki glared at Narumi."Let me see your paper!"

* * *

"Late again, Narumi?"

The seventeen-year-old Narumi smiled as he settled in his seat. "I overslept, Sir," he admitted brazenly.

Seated beside the carefree blond, Misaki was furiously scribbling on his paper, occasionally glancing at the wall clock to check how many minutes he had left. He planned to ace this two-hour exam and get himself the highest possible final grade for the subject.

Otherwise could be said for Narumi, though, who had arrived ninety minutes late for it. "Only one question?" he asked aloud, effectively distracting his classmates.

"Shut up, Narumi," one of them hissed. The blond was infamous for taking his courses _very _lightly.

"Oops. Sorry," he said, not looking apologetic at all. He turned to his paper. "Let's see…"

Misaki frowned, wondering how the hell Narumi planned to pass the course. Not that he was failing, but even Misaki, who was considered _the_ brightest in class, was having a hard time answering the one question the exam posed.

_What is courage?_

Misaki gritted his teeth, concentrating on his paper. They were given five pages of answer sheet, and he was already in his third page. Damn, but he wasn't even nearly finished. _What kind of question is this?_

"Done."

Misaki's head snapped up, darting a disbelieving glance at Narumi. The blond was done, implausible as it was, and he looked perfectly confident as he handed his paper to their teacher. _Is he crazy? He's only written what – _one_ sentence?_

"I guess I'll go ahead now!" Narumi announced happily, and whistled his way out of the classroom.

Misaki and the rest of the class were left gaping after him, speechless.

"Thirty minutes left, everyone," their professor reminded them, and the whole class groaned.

_Curse you, Narumi! _Misaki thought as he went back to his own paper.

Just what did that idiot write in his essay?

* * *

**Three days later.**

"You got a _perfect_ score?" Misaki practically yelled.

Narumi laughed. The results of their exam had just been released, and he topped the damn thing, much to everyone's mortification. "Don't look so surprised, Misaki. Of course I did."

"That's just _wrong_!" Misaki sputtered. "I doubt you even answered the question!"

"Oh, but I did," Narumi assured him, looking amused instead of offended. "It was only one question."

Misaki was fuming. He knew it was irrational, but he seriously hated Narumi that moment. "'You sure you didn't use your alice on the teacher?" he demanded.

"I don't need to do that, Misaki," Narumi said. "Besides, that would have been cheating."

Misaki crossed his arms over his chest. "It took you _one_ minute to answer the essay and you get a higher grade than I do?" He glared at his best friend. "Let me see your paper!" If Narumi was telling the truth, then Misaki _had_ to see just how good the idiot's essay was - if it was really good enough to beat his five-page essay.

Narumi shrugged. "Sure."

Misaki took the neatly folded paper from his friend, managing only a blink when he read what it said.

Written on it, in Narumi's nice print, were only three words:

_This is courage._

**…courage…**

* * *

Finished this in five minutes. Woot. Admit it; it's awesome. :)

**Hilaire****  
03.23.10**


	3. Alice

I'm so bored.

* * *

**#03:  
Alice**

"Won't they drown in that?"  
"I'm the one with the plant alice here, Narumi."

* * *

Narumi was frowning as he watched his friend water the pot of plant.

"Keep your thoughts to yourself, Narumi," Misaki snapped, as if sensing Narumi's disapproval. He wished his friend would leave him alone _already_; he seriously needed to concentrate, and the last thing he wanted was to have Narumi hovering around and throwing stupid comments.

Narumi snorted. The two of them were alone in the classroom, just after dismissal. Misaki had lingered so he could finish his project, while Narumi…well, he graciously welcomed every daybreak to pester his best friend.

"Won't they drown in that?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at the amount of water that Misaki continued pouring. He didn't know about Misaki, but the poor plant looked dangerously close to drowning to him.

"I'm the one with the plant alice here, Narumi," Misaki snapped, before finally putting down the watering can.

"I have no problem about your alice, Misaki, but this is one of those moments when I doubt your sanity," Narumi said seriously, and Misaki felt tempted to slap his friend with his gardening glove.

He glared at the blond, who was still looking over to the plants with concern. "Will you _please_ just leave me alone? I thought you had a date to go to?" Narumi had been talking nonstop about his date with the president of the Math Club, who had recently thrown him out because of his zero attendance during meetings.

Narumi smiled. "Well, yes, but she's not here yet."

"I thought she _hated _ you," he muttered, recalling how the president had furiously threatened to _strangle_ Narumi if he ever dared approach her again.

It was then that the young woman he spoke of waved to them from outside the classroom, appearing very excited and happy. Misaki elevated an eyebrow, sensing something amiss. "Narumi…"

Narumi only laughed, amusement in his eyes. "I have the human pheromone alice here, Misaki. She couldn't hate me even if she tried." Without waiting for his friend's response, he got to his feet, his smile unwavering. "Besides, we all know I'm too adorable to be hated."

The next thing Narumi knew was Misaki's sprinkler splashing water on his face.

**alice.**

* * *

I was going to have Narumi pwn Misaki _again_, but I thought a turnaround would be a nice change this time. =P

**Hilaire  
05.25.10**


	4. Eternity

Just wanted to post something.

* * *

**#04:  
Eternity**

You don't anger the class Narumi belongs to.

* * *

"I hate this; we have recitation again today…"

The eight-year-old Narumi looked up upon hearing his classmates' whispers. It was English class again, and their substitute teacher for the week was a nasty young woman who acted _like a hopeless old maid_, as the whole class would say.

"I know! She always embarrasses everyone who can't answer her questions!"

"Can't you do something about her, Narumi?" a girl from behind him asked. "She's just so _horrible_," she continued, and she and her friends frowned as if to underscore their point.

"Please do something about her, Narumi! Charm her to be kinder or something!"

Oh, but he had a reputation for being a class terrorist, with his alice being too strong even for teachers to resist. He smirked. He didn't like the substitute either. "Listen up."

It didn't take long before their teacher entered the classroom, her trademark frown on her face. _And it's still very early in the morning, too, _Narumi thought with distaste.

The whole class was silent, except for when their teacher prompted them for an answer. A few minutes into the class and she was starting on embarrassing the students again – including the students who could have responded well to her query, if only she didn't humiliate them before they could even breathe a word.

"Cat got your tongue? How _exactly_ did you get into Alice Academy?" the teacher said spitefully, and the student being asked, a mere six-year-old known for being a sniveler, started to wail.

Narumi shook his head in disapproval. This lady didn't even deserve to be used his alice on. He raised his hand. "I'd like to answer the question."

The teacher shot him a glare. "All right, Narumi."

He stood up, his violet eyes flashing with contempt for the Academy's pathetic excuse for an educator. "If I had only one hour left to live," he said, smiling innocently despite his temper, "I'd spend it in this class."

The teacher looked suddenly unsure, raising an eyebrow at him. "Indeed? Why so?"

"Indeed," he said, nodding his head as a cruel smile fell on his face. "Because this class feels like an eternity."

And with that, the rest of the class stood up, following Narumi out the door.

_See, you don't anger the class Narumi belongs to_, the teacher vaguely recalled being told, before sinking into her seat, wordless.

**…****eternity…**

* * *

I hate nasty teachers who don't know how to teach shizz and still act like they're smarter than you. Psh.

**Hilaire  
07.05.10**


	5. Cunning

I shouldn't be writing anything before my exams. D:

* * *

**#05:  
Cunning**

Because Narumi has his ways of making Misaki do all the work.

* * *

The thirteen-year-old Misaki was _furious_.

"I swear, Narumi, if you _dare_ let me do all the work for this project again, I will whip the hell out of you with my whip beans until you're beyond recognition," he hissed, with a glare at his best friend.

At the moment, being best friends was the last thing on Misaki's mind. All he could see, seated from across him, was the lazy arse for an assignment partner who went by the name of Narumi.

"Fine," Narumi said, "let's settle this with a game, shall we?"

"_What_?" Misaki snapped, losing his usual calm. "Stop playing games with me, Narumi! You – "

"I'll finish the project _alone,_ if you win."

The dark-haired young man froze upon hearing this. "Really?"

"Really." Narumi smiled. "But if I win, _you_ finish the work alone. Wanna play?"

Misaki let out a frustrated sigh. "What game are we playing?" Damn; was he really _this_ desperate? In a quick moment of deliberation, he admitted that yes, he was_ that_ desperate.

"I'll ask you one question. If your answer correct, you win."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Why do you get to ask the question?"

"Are we playing or not?"

Misaki huffed in defeat. If he didn't agree now, he'd most probably just spend the rest of the time looking for Narumi, and would end up _cramming_ their project _alone_. "Fine."

Narumi's smile widened. "Now say _fort_ ten times."

He frowned, his irritation building up again. "If this is one of your pranks – "

Narumi gave a dramatic sigh. "Look, Misaki. It's either we get this over with now, or we spend the rest of the week arguing who'll finish the assignment. It's your pick."

"I really don't see the point why I have to answer your stupid question when you can just agree to finish the work _with _me," Misaki hissed. "We're supposed to work on this _together_!"

"It's more fun this way, Misaki," Narumi said simply, driving his friend absolutely _nuts_.

"Damn you," Misaki muttered, but did as he was told anyway. "Fort, fort, fort, fort, fort, fort, fort, fort, fort, fort."

"Now say it five times."

"Narumi!"

"Misaki," Narumi said, shooting him a disapproving glance.

He gritted his teeth. "Fort, fort, fort, fort, fort."

"Okay, now three times."

"Fort, fort, fort," he grumbled.

"Two more times."

"Fort, fort."

"One last time."

"Fort."

Narumi smiled; that deadly, innocent smile that always sent chills down Misaki's spine. "So what do we eat soup with?"

There was barely a pause before Misaki pounded the table, jumped to his feet, and pointed his forefinger at Narumi. "Hah! _Fork_!" he exclaimed, his tone dripping with smugness.

Narumi stood up from his seat, his expression a mockery of surprise. "Really? Because I use _spoon_."

Misaki could only feel his eyes widen as he slowly comprehended what Narumi had asked him. Wordless, he blinked, watching Narumi wave him a most casual farewell. "Work hard on our project, Misaki."

**cunning.**

* * *

That's the lamest thing _ever_, I know, but it's still fun. :D

I'm working on a multi-chaptered fic about Misaki. It'll be scandalous and oh! _deliciously wicked_._ Author alert_ me if you're interested! )

**Hilaire  
07.20.10**


	6. Improbable

Because I pulled through my exams just fine. *happy dance*

* * *

**#06:  
Improbable**

"I just called him a spineless wimp. He didn't have to be so violent."  
Misaki sighed. "And you wonder why Natsume Hyuuga tried to kill you."

* * *

"Careful with the face, Misaki!"

Instead of being careful as his friend requested, Misaki only pressed the icepack on Narumi's jaw more forcefully, making the blond groan. "Shut up, Narumi. It's not my fault you're already thirty-three but still act like you're twelve."

"Don't even mention my age, Misaki," Narumi grumbled, wincing. "Besides, I only called him a spineless wimp. He didn't have to be so violent."

Misaki frowned at him. "You called Natsume Hyuuga _a spineless wimp_ and you _wonder_ why he tried to kill you?"

Narumi flashed him an innocent look. "I was only telling the truth."

"That Natsume _is_ a spineless wimp?" he asked, somewhat in disbelief. The said spineless wimp had nearly killed Narumi after being told that to his face, and yet the pheromone alice wielder would still _not_ change his viewpoint on the matter.

"Why of course! He's already _sixteen_ and he still can't even tell Mikan how he feels!" Narumi exclaimed, looking absolutely appalled by this. "Truly, have you seen anyone more gutless than Natsume Hyuuga?"

Misaki shook his head. "No wonder he was pissed off as hell."

"Without any good reason, I tell you. I even gave him an advice, as his ex-homeroom teacher."

"And _what_ did you tell him?"

A smile tugged at the corner of Narumi's lips. "That he should hook up with Hotaru Imai instead. They look good together, don't you think, Misaki?"

At that moment, Misaki was almost too sure that even Natsume's fan girls would have murdered Narumi for saying _that_.

**improbable.**

* * *

NatsumeHotaru, anyone?

I really, truly believe that Narumi is the only one person who would dare call Natsume a spineless wimp to his face. Admit it; Natsume can be _such_ a wimp _most_ times. :D

**Hilaire  
07.24.10**


	7. Truth

I'm having too much fun with this. ;)

* * *

**#07:  
Truth**

"You punched Narumi-sensei in the face?" Hotaru asked.  
Natsume huffed. "He deserved it."

* * *

"You punched Narumi-sensei in the face?"

Sixteen-year-old Natsume Hyuuga flipped onto the next page of his book. "Yeah. So?"

Hotaru Imai leaned against the tree, looking unimpressed. "Why?" she asked, her bored gaze on the vast expanse of the Academy before them.

There was an awkward pause, and then an irritated grunt. "He deserved it," he said curtly.

At this Hotaru looked down to the young man, finding him frowning as he went back to what he was reading. "What did he do, exactly?" she insisted, fixing him with a careful, curious stare.

"Shut up, Imai."

"You know I won't, Hyuuga."

He huffed, obviously growing more annoyed by the second. "He called me..." he faltered, as if the next words were too vile to be uttered, "he called me a spineless wimp."

"_Ohhh_..."

"I said shut up, Imai," he repeated sharply.

Hotaru shrugged. "Now why would he call _the_ Black Cat..." she said, her eyes flashing with amusement, "a spineless wimp?"

Natsume snapped his book shut, rising as if to accentuate his temper. "He said because I still wouldn't confess to polka dots," he muttered, speaking the words through clenched teeth.

An amused scoff escaped Hotaru's lips, despite his exasperation. "I don't understand why you're so worked up, Hyuuga. Everyone knows you've always been brave enough to risk your life in doing missions for dangerous ability."

She let a smirk fall on her face, craning her neck so that her eyes met his own, her nonchalant violets against his irritated crimsons. "Besides..."

"Hadn't you been brave enough to confess to _me_, Natsume?"

**truth.**

* * *

Mwahahaha! YES I WENT THERE! For the record, I'm a huge NatsumeHotaru fan, and I sincerely think they look adorable together. I first entertained the idea when I watched this episode where Hotaru hit Natsume (and Ruka) with her gun, and I just knew it would be _such_ a match if they're put together. I swear, NatsumeHotaru is _the_ best pairing in GA.

Apologies for the lack of Narumi in this. I just thought this needed to be written, after the responses to the previous one.

**Hilaire  
08.06.10**


	8. Promise

Let's get back on track.

* * *

**#08:  
Promise**

Narumi didn't make a promise he didn't intend to keep.

* * *

"You're late."

The young lady of sixteen was smiling as she walked up to Narumi, her gray eyes sparkling with remarkable mischief. "I had no plans of going, until they told me you were here."

"You're too mischievous for your own good, young lady," he remarked lightly, offering his arm to her. The two of them had never met until they were paired off for the wedding of Narumi's friend and the young woman's family firiend, and yet Narumi felt like he had known her for the longest time.

"You speak like you're much older than I am," she said, intertwining her arm around his own.

"I _am_ twenty-two," he said, just as they started treading down the carpeted aisle to where the wedding coordinator was, for the last rehearsal before lunch.

She looked pleased. "I don't mind," she said, her grip around him tightening. "Six years isn't _that_ much."

Narumi cracked a smirk in amusement. "I see."

The young woman looked up at him, smiling like all the world's sins and truth were known only to her. "Wait for me, all right?"

He blinked, quirking an eyebrow in incomprehension. "I'm sorry?"

"Wait for me," she repeated, her voice low, quiet and earnest; like she was uttering a silent prayer.

For a few moments he could do nothing but stare at her, stunned by her entreaty. The smile never left her lips, and yet it was at this very moment that he saw the crack in that cheerful veneer she had so carefully kept up.

He turned away from the desperation and despair in those gray eyes, and realized that the two of them had stopped walking. They stood beholding the elaborately embellished church altar, all set up for the wedding in the next three days.

He clasped her hand in his, holding her close as he let a smile fall on his lips. "Of course."

It was one of those rare promises he made in his life, and somehow he knew he'd find a way to keep it.

Somehow, he knew he'd wait for her.

**promise.**

* * *

For the record, the young lady is _not_ Yuka, or whoever that person everyone keeps talking about in their reviews. Let's be clear: I _don't_ read the manga, so I can't make allusions to that. I'm giving everyone the liberty to imagine the young woman to be whoever they want. Hey, we don't know what happened to Narumi at twenty-two, do we? (Or at least _I_ don't; I don't know what the manga says about it, if it does.)

Regardless, who _she_ is ain't the point; the promise and Narumi's mind-set about it is. I simply don't think he breaks promises, or even makes those he can't keep. ;)

**Hilaire  
08.14.10**


	9. Surprise

Because I wanted to post something on my birthday. Which is today. ;)

* * *

**#09:  
Surprise**

Because nothing can ever surprise Narumi. Or so he says.

* * *

"So what were you going to tell me?" Narumi asked, taking a dramatic sip of his drink.

Seated from across him, barely able to keep himself together, was Misaki. The twenty-two-year-old had already given three deep sighs within the minute, and Narumi made a mental note to _snap_ if Misaki heaved another.

Misaki squared his shoulders, taking on his usual mask of calm. "This is _serious_, Narumi. I haven't even told anyone about this yet."

"Beating around the bush doesn't suit you, Misaki," Narumi quipped, amusement lighting his eyes. Under the chandeliers of the restaurant, his best friend looked about ready to throw up.

It was _hilarious_, and Narumi almost had to laugh. He didn't realize that time they had spent away from each after graduating from Alice Academy had changed Misaki _that_ much. "Just tell me what it is already."

Misaki glared at him. "Put that stupid drink down, Narumi. You might spill it after you hear what I have to say."

"You can try," he offered, stubbornly raising the glass to his lips. "Nothing that you say can possibly surprise me, Misaki."

The plant manipulator frowned. "Yeah, _right_."

"Try me."

Misaki took his fourth deep breath, and Narumi almost kicked him under the table, if only he didn't look so confused and distraught. Ah, perhaps he was telling the truth about the magnitude of what he was about to say?

_But it's Misaki; I doubt it's as surprising as he claims it to be._

The dark-haired young man intertwined his fingers, a solemn expression on his face. Narumi took another sip of his drink, barely able to keep himself from laughing.

Until Misaki finally spoke them - three words of utmost importance.

"I'm getting married."

In the next second, Narumi found himself choking on an ice cube.

**surprise.**

* * *

This has gotta be the silliest snippet I 've ever written. Oh well, I had fun!

**Hilaire  
09.11.10**


	10. Gift

Inspired by Demi Lovato's _Gift of a Friend_. Trust me and listen to it _while_ reading.

Dedicated to **Kookie Monsterr** and **Fallen Jewels**, who were sweet enough to write me fan fictions for my birthday. Thank you!

* * *

**#10:  
****Gift**

Only one so naïve wouldn't realize that every gift came with strings.

* * *

Misaki let his bored gaze sweep the entirety of the yacht's deck, rocking a glass of wine in his hand. Everywhere he looked, smiling yet unfamiliar faces greeted him, wishing him all the best in the world; and every time he would smile back and say his thanks, at the back of his mind wondering if these people even knew who he was and why there were here to begin with.

It was his birthday, so why the hell didn't he know half of the guests in his own party?

He took a full swig of his wine, smirking as he noted how fine it was. _Hardly the sort to waste on people I don't even know, _he thought cynically, until he caught himself and shook his head.

Dammit, he didn't even like how he was thinking now.

Frustrated, the twenty-one-year-old Misaki smiled one last time to the guests (whose names he couldn't remember; it was all such a big blur, really) around him before muttering a quiet apology and saying that he needed a few moments with himself. With quick, stubborn strides, he made his way to the stairs that led to the third level, heaving a sigh of relief as soon as he reached the deck.

Finally, some privacy.

He walked to the railing, feeling the cold blast of evening breeze against his skin. He hunched over, still holding his wine, his gaze fixed on the lights in the faraway distance. The gentle splash of water against the yacht was like a lullaby, and Misaki found himself closing his eyes, face turned to the shimmering stars on the sky.

"It's your birthday and you're still alone"

Misaki opened his eyes, whipping his head in the direction of the voice. There was a moment of stunned silence before he managed to blink, his eyebrows drawn down in a mixture of surprise and delight. "Narumi?"

"The one and only," Narumi quipped, a small smirk playing on the corners of his lips. "Happy birthday, Misaki."

Misaki pulled away from the railing, watching Narumi approach. "I thought you couldn't come."

"I ditched cram school."

"I told you not to! You've a major exam tonight!"

"You also told me to come," Narumi shot back, smugness written all over his features. He took his place beside his friend, leaning against the railing so that the two of them were staring down at the reflection of the moonlight in the dark ocean.

"Still!" Narumi was under a scholarship program, and the last thing Misaki wanted was for his friend to lose it because of him.

"Come on, Misaki," Narumi said with a grin. "I perfected three exams in a row, remember? Missing the fourth won't affect my grades that much."

Misaki arched an eyebrow at this remark. "You don't have to sound so arrogant saying that."

Narumi merely shrugged. "Enough about me. What are you doing here by yourself?"

Misaki was suddenly quiet, feeling uncomfortable with the sudden shift of the topic. "I... wanted some air," he answered lamely.

Narumi's eyebrow shot up. "And there was no air downstairs?"

"Shut up, Narumi," Misaki hissed, turning away from his best friend.

"I was just asking a question," Narumi said, a quiet laughter escaping his lips.

Misaki let out a frustrated sigh. "All right, so I don't know half the people down there. Does that answer your question?"

Narumi looked amused by this response. "Uh-huh."

"Don't _uh-huh_ me."

"Don't sound so upset, Misaki. Have you seen your _stacks_ of gifts yet?" Narumi asked.

"Some gifts," Misaki grumbled. "Those gifts always come with strings, Narumi."

"Oh?"

"Most of the guests are my parents' business associates," Misaki said, watching his wine swirl in his glass. "It's nothing new. I don't know them, and they don't know me."

When Narumi spoke, he sounded thoughtful, if not a bit cynical. "Every gift comes with strings, Misaki."

"Does yours, too?" Misaki asked curiously.

Narumi grinned guiltily. "About the gift…"

Misaki shook his head, although not upset in the slightest. "You didn't bring me one, did you?" he asked, smirking if only to keep himself from smiling.

"Sorry. I was sort of in a rush to come here…"

"You and your excuses," he teased, but waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind, Narumi; it doesn't really matter. Just answer the question."

Narumi's eyes lit up with amusement. "Well what do you think?"

Misaki stared into those playful violets, and knew without a doubt that if there was any gift that came without strings, it would be the gift that Narumi long gave him. "Ah, heck. I _know_ that yours doesn't."

"Then you are answered." Narumi smiled. "Happy birthday, Misaki. I'm really sorry about your gift."

"What's important is that you came," Misaki said, feeling his own heartfelt smile fall on his face. "Thank you for being here, Narumi."

With this, Misaki shifted his gaze to the evening sky above them, muttering his silent thanks to the stars who granted him the best gift – Narumi, the best friend he could have ever asked for.

**gift.**

* * *

**Hilaire****  
09.25.10**


	11. Fiction

**Claimer: **Midori and Mizu are original characters, and they're mine.

* * *

**#11:****  
Fiction**

"And they all lived happily ever after."  
"But this book is labeled fiction, Narumi-sensei."  
Of reality and fiction, and the line between.

* * *

The six-year-old girl beamed as she closed the book. "And they all lived happily ever after," she declared, earning the cheers of her classmates. "Thank you for listening!" She gave a graceful bow before turning to Narumi, awaiting what he had to say.

Narumi smiled at her. "That was a very good story, Midori," he said. "Thank you for sharing it with us; I'm sure everyone enjoyed it," he added, noting how most of the boys looked absolutely bored of it. Not that he could blame them; they weren't part of the majority who wanted to hear a fairytale during homeroom period. "Would there be any questions from the class?"

A hand immediately shot up. "I have a question!" the seven-year-old Mizu said, her blue eyes wide with her characteristic curiosity.

"All right, Mizu?"

"The book is labeled _fiction_, Narumi-sensei. Does this mean happy ever afters don't happen in real life?" she asked smugly, as if she felt very clever.

Narumi found himself only able to blink at the question, not at all expecting it. Despite this, he managed a smile that probably appeared as unsure as he was, his mind racing to find an answer for his students. "The book is labeled fiction because of the fairy godmothers and magic," he said tentatively.

"Oh." Mizu pouted. "But what about the happy ever afters?"

The rest of the class were already expressing their dissent before Narumi could even speak.

"That's so silly of you, Mizu! Of course they do!" Midori exclaimed, looking quite horrified of the other girl's query. "Do you think they write this for _fun_ – just to fool kids like ourselves into believing something that isn't true?"

Narumi flinched, managing only the faintest smile when Midori glanced over to him for reassurance. "I'm right, aren't I, Narumi-sensei?" she asked, pleading in her eyes, as if her world would crumble if he said she was wrong. "Happy ever afters do exist, don't they?"

He rose from his seat, taking his place in front of the classroom. "Happy ever afters _do_ happen in real life," he started, giving a reassuring glance in Midori's direction before shifting his gaze to the rest of his students, "but like in fairytales, we will have to overcome countless challenges and hardship before being able to achieve our own."

"Fiction reminds us that there will be difficulties, and it tells us that we need to triumph over them to get to the happiness we want for ourselves. It won't be easy, and it will definitely take a lot of time. There could come a moment when everything would be so awful we'd be tempted to give up; frustrated that we cannot discover the mystery of happiness; betrayed by the falsehood of 'happy ever after," he continued.

"But you have to remember: Fiction can only do so much to show us the intensity of Reality. No work of fiction, no matter how acclaimed, can capture Life's finest details; and no words, no matter how beautifully phrased, can stir the emotions felt by living Reality itself."

"When the time comes that you already feel like surrendering, I hope you remember just how tough we are to be living Reality," he said, nodding with conviction. "Because unlike in fiction, we don't need magic to get our own happy ever after."

For a moment or two there was only silence, until the class suddenly erupted with applause and cheering.

"You put it so well, Narumi-sensei!"

Narumi grinned, slightly embarrassed. He saw Midori giggle, very pleased. Even Mizu looked very much won over, although the little genius seemed to want to disguise it. "But what if there's no happy ever after, even after we've gone through so much?" she said instead.

Narumi felt a heartfelt smile grace his features. He had asked himself the same question many times over, each time finding only one answer to it.

"Then it's not the end just yet."

**fiction.**

* * *

This was difficult to write, because trust me, I'm not as optimistic as Narumi is. Thoughts?

**Hilaire****  
10.31.10**


	12. Happiness

The reason we keep going is because we want to be happy._  
Hilaire_

* * *

**#12:****  
Happiness**

"Suppose the person you love loves someone else. Will you insist that person stay with you, or will you let that person go?"

* * *

The seventeen-year-old class president crossed her arms over her chest, as if trying to make a point. "Suppose," she started, "suppose the person you love loves someone else. What will you do? Will you insist that person stay with you, or will you let that person go?"

A contemplative silence ruled over the group of students in Class A, each of them thinking the question over. It lasted about a full minute, until finally one of girls decided to speak up. "I'll let him go," she muttered, almost sadly. "I don't want to be selfish. If the person no longer wants to be with me, then I'll set him free and let him be with the one he loves."

There was an indistinct murmur of agreement amongst the students, except for the young blond at the farther end of the room. He was lounged lazily in his seat, so uninterested in what their hopelessly romantic president had arranged as an activity during homeroom period – the discussion of her _love life_.

_Of all the damn things._

"How very noble of you," Narumi said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. He propped up his chin in one hand, focusing his violet eyes on the view outside the window. Truly, he couldn't believe he was bored enough to humor their president. "If it were me, I'd be perfectly selfish: I _wouldn't_ let the person go."

"But you love her," the class president insisted. "Won't you let her go because you love her, and because you want the person you love to be happy?"

Narumi snorted. "I want her to be happy," he admitted.

The president's eyes lit up. "So you'll let her go?"

"_No_."

"But why?"

Narumi smirked at her in contempt. "Simple: Because I want _me _ to be happy, too."

**happiness.**

* * *

Being selfless is so overrated. I believe it's because no one actually does it. ;)

**Hilaire****  
11.16.10**


	13. Birthday

This collection is no longer limited to snippets, hence this one-shot, originally posted last 24th of October.

* * *

**#13:  
****Birthday**

"I'm turning thirty today, Misaki! Thirty! That's three-zero!"  
In which Narumi weeps over his thirtieth birthday, and Misaki knocks some sense into his narcissistic little head.  
Oh, and Persona arrives with a few words of wisdom himself.

* * *

There was a loud, desperate wailing; as though the world had already crumbled for the person in question.

"Help! Narumi is gonna commit suicide! Someone stop Narumi from committing suicide!"

Misaki whacked his co-teacher in the head. "Shut _up_, Makihara; Narumi isn't committing suicide!" He glanced over to the blond, still pitifully hunched over his desk, whining for all the Academy to hear.

_Aw, dammit. _

The plant manipulator grimaced as his gaze strayed from the elaborately embellished faculty room to the feast he and the other teachers had prepared for Narumi, unsure whether he should be sympathetic or just plain pissed off with his best friend.

Although, with the way things were going, he was pretty damn sure he just wanted to _strangle_ Narumi then and there.

He shot both Serina and Noda an _'I told you so' _look, frowning at them. It was their idea to arrange this for Narumi, even when he warned them that Narumi wasn't excited to be celebrating his birthday this year. The narcissistic bastard had long marked this day as a black day, even going so far as to say that he would sleep through it if he could.

Misaki shook his head in frustration. He knew Serina and Noda meant well, but they really should have listened to him when he told them that Narumi wouldn't be able to bear being reminded of his age.

Yes, Narumi was _that_ narcissistic. Misaki knew him too well, and how he wished he had successfully deterred their friends from going through all the trouble, so they wouldn't have had to see and endure _this_.

_Geez, what a pain. _

"Narumi – " Misaki started, fighting the urge to literally knock some sense into his friend's head. "Look, it's your birthday, and the last thing you should be doing is…" he tried to find a fitting adjective, but failed miserably, "_this_."

Narumi looked up from his tears. "Misaki do you have any idea how – " he faltered, and shuddered, "_old _I'm turning today?"

"Uhm, thirty?" Misaki offered uninterestedly.

"Not helping!" Narumi snapped with a frown. "How can you say that with _such_ ease?"

Misaki heaved an irritated sigh. "I turned thirty a few months ago, remember?"

Narumi furrowed his eyebrows, as if he just remembered this. "Oh." He shook his head. "Still. It's different."

"_Different_?" Misaki repeated, making even Narumi flinch back.

"Well you've always looked _the same_…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he snapped. Gracious, but Narumi could really be so exasperating without trying!

Narumi waved a hand dismissively. "Let's not get into that, Misaki; it's too much drama. Anyway we were talking about _me_." At this the blond was suddenly tearful again. "I'm – I'm already thirty today!"

"And so?" Misaki snapped.

"Misaki!" Narumi exclaimed, as if he had just uttered blasphemy. "Thirty! Don't you realize – that's three-zero! The next thing I'd know I'd be thirty-one, then thirty-two," he counted, grimacing with each number, "thirty-three – "

"I know how to count, thank you," Misaki interrupted.

"_Misaki_!"

He huffed, giving his best friend a glare. "What's the matter with you? So what if you're already thirty today? Half the people here are even older than you, and there's not making a big fuss out of their age. They didn't throw hysterical fits when they turned thirty – so why the hell should you?"

Misaki continued through clenched teeth. "You unappreciative bastard. Do you have the slightest idea how much it took Noda and Serina to arrange all of this for you? Do you know how many days it took to clear everyone's schedule so they would be able to make tonight unforgettable for you?"

The blond could only gape as Misaki kept on. "Weren't you the same person who told me that getting older is a part of life, that it's a way for a person to mature as a person? That it's necessary so that an individual would be able to learn from his mistakes, perhaps even correct them – and through this, hopefully live with as little regrets in life as possible?"

"Misaki…"

"Wasn't it you who said that a person's life is too short, too painfully short to waste, so he should make the best out of every day that he lives? Why aren't you making the best out of tonight – out of one of the most important days of your life?"

The dark-haired alice manage a small, taunting smirk. "If you're so worried about your looks, then should you really be crying and frowning like you are now? You're the one who keeps saying that smiling keeps you from looking your age." He gave a quiet snicker. "Tch. Why aren't you smiling now? It's your birthday, after all."

For a few moments there was only silence, until finally Noda, Serina, and the other teachers erupted with applause. Misaki blinked, surprised by their response to his little speech, and blushed furiously. "H-Hey…!"

Narumi laughed at his best friend's sudden discomfort, somehow finding it amusing. "I didn't know you could give such heartfelt talk, Misaki," he said, wiping the corners of his eyes.

"Shut up, Narumi."

Narumi got to his feet, a teasing grin on his lips. "Let it slip; it's my thirtieth today, isn't it?" he asked. He closed his eyes for a while, taking a calming breath before he opened them again; and somehow those violets were flashing with genuine happiness this time. "I'm sorry for the excitement, everyone; I guess I may have taken this _too_ seriously…"

"Damn right," Misaki grumbled.

Narumi shot him a look before continuing. "I do appreciate this celebration you organized for tonight, and I'd like to thank each and every one of you here who managed to come." He smiled in the direction of his closest friends. "My utmost thanks to Noda and Serina for their hard work. You didn't really have to do this, but you still did. Thank you."

He then turned to Misaki, grinning widely. "And of course, I'd like to thank Misaki for knocking some sense into my stubborn little head. I didn't know you listened to everything I said to you before." He smiled. "I really appreciate that. Thank you."

"You should be," Misaki muttered, trying to hide his embarrassment. "All right, stop staring at me already! Let's just start the party!" He was just relieved Narumi finally pulled himself together.

_I just hope nothing sends him back to his melodramatic depression again, _he thought, shoving a mouthful of cake into his mouth. Damn, but all that inspirational talk made him hungry. He made a mental note to never repeat that again in his lifetime.

Narumi laughed at his friend's discomfort. "Whatever you say," he said, only to pause when he saw someone looking over to him from the corner of the room. "How delightful! Even Persona is celebrating my birthday with me tonight!"

Misaki stiffened, nearly choking on his food. _Persona? _He was quite certain neither Noda nor Serina invited the teacher after hearing how he had ruined the last birthday he had attended. (Not with bloodshed, of course; Persona was too refined for that. He was only heartless, not aggressive.) No one wanted to give Misaki the full details of what happened, but the ultimate message was clear: _Never invite Persona to a birthday._

With deep misgivings Misaki turned gaze in the direction of the dangerous ability moderator, watching Narumi approach him. _Oh no. Narumi - !_

And apparently those misgivings had perfectly good grounds on them, because the next words Persona uttered would have sent anyone to depression – hell, even suicide.

Or murder.

"Celebrating old age, Narumi? How interesting. Congratulations on being a step closer to death," Persona said unfeelingly, his cynical smirk as if to remind everyone that he wielded the alice of death.

It took only a heartbeat before the suddenly furious Narumi was on Persona. "Who are you calling _old_? The only one a step closer to death here is you, Persona!"

**birthday.**

* * *

Remember not to invite Persona to your birthday. He's got the alice of death, y'know. ;)

**Hilaire****  
11.07.10**


	14. Punishment

This is me running out of ideas. I went crazy one night (morning) and this turned up. For mature audience only. =))

* * *

**#14:**  
**Punishment**

Of all the people Natsume Hyuuga could be trapped in a closet with, it had to be Narumi.  
"Dammit, Narumi, don't you dare try anything funny!"  
"I'm not doing anything!" A creepy little laugh. "At least, not yet."

* * *

It all started one late evening, when the fifteen-year-old Natsume Hyuuga arrived in the deserted library to clean up. His fan girls would probably not believe it, but even _the _ Black Cat was punished for ditching classes _and _trying to murder his teachers every chance he got.

For his homicidal attempts this month, Natsume was assigned the entire library to tidy up – a rather lame punishment considering his impressive punch to Narumi's gut only a couple of days ago. Closing the door behind him, the Black Cat scowled, wondering what sort of ruse that bastard for a homeroom teacher was planning. Narumi was a sadistic, cruel psycho, no matter how much he denied it, and Natsume was one of the unfortunate individuals he had the best time pestering (the other one being Misaki, but whatever; the other teacher was the best friend, so it must mean he consented to the torture. Or was he tortured to consent? Hah).

Natsume could only curse his luck.

He huffed, looking over to the vast expanse of the library. Topping his to-do list was mopping the whole place, and damn, it looked like it would take all night to do that. Alice Academy was huge, and its library was, suffice to say, _hugearse_. For the umpteenth time that hour, Natsume asked himself why the hell he even bothered with this. He was _the_ Natsume Hyuuga, and he did _not _ do stupid chores like this!

Then again, it must have been that creepy little smile on Narumi's lips that prompted Natsume to actually consent to this insanity. The Black Cat was pretty sure that there was an "or else…" following Narumi's _clean the library! _punishment, and he had absolutely no intention of hearing it out – much last partaking in it.

_Thanks, but no thanks._

Natsume shook his head, advancing to the broom cabinet he could see to his far left. It wasn't as if he had any choice regarding the matter (well actually he did, but the other choice was Narumi, so _nuhhh_), so he might as well got it over with.

He gave it tug, lifting an eyebrow when the rusty-looking lock didn't even budge. That was strange; it looked like it would break easily. _Guess not, _he thought, trying the knob this time. It wouldn't budge either. You'd think Alice Academy could afford a lock less crappy than this, with how much they were getting for Natsume's missions.

Oh, wait. Was this the enchanted lock you were supposed to charm before it unlocked itself?

"Damn this school for alices. What kind of idiot uses an _enchanted_ lock for a _broom closet_? What, someone will steal a mop?" Natsume cursed, staring at the lock. As if he actually knew anything about charming anyone. "People _willingly _ fall at my feet, you stupid lock," he muttered, and before he could start feeling stupid for talking to an inanimate object, found that it had unfastened itself and had fallen to the floor unceremoniously.

_So that's how you do it._

Natsume opened the cabinet and peered in. It was too dark to see, but he could tell that it was _too _ clean to be a broom closet. With outstretched arms he felt its surface, slightly puzzled to find it spotless.

Maybe this was the wrong cabinet?

_THWACK!_

"Ow!" Natsume groaned, having been clapped on the back all of a sudden. He turned on his heel to see the person behind the deed, a frown crossing his face when he saw it to be none other than his beloved homeroom teacher. "Hell _no_."

"Hello to you, too," Narumi said, a smirk playing on the corners of his lips as he appraised the young man before himself. "Somehow I'm surprised to find you here."

"And somehow I don't believe you," Natsume shot back. Narumi and himself being in the same place was too much of a coincidence for him to believe. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here as a spy," the thirty-two-year-old Narumi said with a little wink. He was clad in a black polo shirt, with a matching pair of black pants. It almost seemed like he was keeping out of sight, with the bland colors of his clothes.

"_Spy_?" Natsume repeated incredulously. Was Narumi _this _ bad at lying? "What, to check if Iclean the library right?"

Narumi seemed confused by this. "You really think anyone cares about the library? No one even goes to this place unless you hold a gun to their heads."

Natsume silently agreed to that. He himself had thoughts of burning the whole place to the ground sometimes. "So you're just spying on me?"

Narumi laughed at his face. "Please. Spy on _you_, Natsume? What, you think the world revolves around you?"

The Black Cat managed a smirk, although he was a little put off by this remark. Last time he checked, the world _did_ revolve around him. Who did Narumi think he was to dispute that? "So who are you spying on?"

"It's actually – " Narumi paused, frowning. "Wait, I don't think I'm supposed to tell you that."

_Dumbass. _"Serizawa?" he offered, remembering his teacher in Calculus. The young man of twenty-three was infamous not only for his exams and his characteristic heartlessness, but for the rumors of him being in a not-so-secret relationship with one of his high school students.

Narumi clapped his hands together, eyes lighting up with delight. "I didn't know you gossiped, too!"

"I _don't _ gossip!" Natsume denied indignantly.

"Then how do you know it's Serizawa-sensei?" his teacher asked innocently.

"Everyone is talking about it, and I have _ears_."

Narumi looked disappointed. "How _lame_."

"Shut up."

Narumi shrugged, and when he spoke it turned out he had decided to spill everything to Natsume. So much for classified information. Was this really the same person who Natsume was told to be the top dangerous ability student during his time? _Unbelievable._ "I've been told Serizawa-sensei is engaged in… _extracurricular activities_, and he's been desecrating the library for his… _pleasures_."

"It sounds more disgusting when you say it."

Narumi raised an eyebrow. "It _is_ disgusting, don't you think?"

"That he's having an affair with his student?"

Narumi snorted, as if that was the most ridiculous answer he'd ever heard. "No, I mean that he's _caught_."

Natsume gave him an incredulous stare. "Maybe you should give him pointers," he said dryly, silently wondering if Alice Academy really lacked so much common sense and gut instinct that it hired someone as perverted as Narumi to be an _educator_.

The grin that appeared on Narumi's lips was more lascivious than usual. "Maybe I should."

Before either of them could breathe another word, they were distracted by approaching footsteps outside the library. Instinctively, Narumi pushed him into the nearby closet, the two of them making a painful land on its cramped base as its door clicked shut behind them.

Natsume groaned, pinned under his teacher in a tangle of limbs and arms. "Get off!" he growled, either shoulder held down by Narumi's hands. It was downright creepy, and he felt _violated_.

In the darkness, Natsume heard Narumi chuckle before pulling himself off of his student, taking his place on the space that barely accommodated him. Much to Natsume's mortification, Narumi's legs were still twisted around his own even when he moved away: The cabinet only had enough room for them if they both stood up – and pressed themselves _together_.

Like, really, totally, completely, creepily close together.

_Don't panic don't panic don't panic._

Not without effort, Natsume pulled himself up, almost shivering when he felt Narumi very, _very_ close. In fact, the damn bastard was moving closer, and it didn't take too long before Natsume felt his back pressed against Narumi's chest. _Oh shit oh shit oh shit. _"Dammit, Narumi, don't you dare try anything funny!"

"I'm not doing anything," Narumi denied, his voice coming out teasing despite their situation. Then again, he was Narumi, the optimist who saw the light in practically everything – even in the dark. Pun intended. "At least not yet."

Natsume would have kicked his teacher in the crotch if he could, but he was facing the wrong direction, and it wasn't as if there was enough room for him to do that. So instead he pushed on the door, the feeling of dread becoming more distinct with each passing second.

The stupid door wouldn't friggin' open.

He tried to kick it, but once again he found himself too restricted to move; he could barely swing his legs without coming into contact with the pervert with him. _Great_. He stiffened when he felt Narumi lean over to him, the shadows in the closet making the whole situation all the more terrifying. "Back. Off."

"There's nowhere to back off too," Narumi pointed out. "Can't you kick the door open?" Without waiting for an answer, he slipped his right leg between Natsume's to kick the door himself.

"What _the fuck_ are you doing?" the Black Cat asked, cringing with horror at having Narumi's legs in between his own. Goodness gracious, but this was going to scar him for life!

"I'm trying to kick the door open!"

"Move and let _me_ do it!"

Thankfully Narumi did as he was told and let Natsume be. The slightly relieved young man tried not to panic, twisting the doorknob forcefully before pushing and (barely) kicking the door as hard as he could.

Both seemed to mock him when they refused to budge.

Natsume heaved a frustrated sigh, considering his options. The walls of the cabinet didn't seem very strong, so he could probably just use his alice on it. He pressed a hand against the surface, took a careful breath, and willed his flames to do his bidding.

A minute later he found himself twitching his eyebrows dangerously, staring at his flameless hands. Of all the damned times his alice could betray him, it had to be _this _ moment – when he was trapped with Narumi inside a closet.

Damn it. Damn it _all_.

"Alices don't work within Serizawa-sensei's ten-meter radius," Narumi reminded him, peering outside through a random hole he found. "Even your alice is useless against his nullifying alice."

_Oh shit oh shit oh shit._

Natsume swallowed, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe. Even he, _the _ Natsume Hyuuga, could only take so much. Surely he wouldn't lose everyone's respect if he fainted then and there, given that he was trapped in a closet with a sick pervert like Narumi?

In some detached part of his mind, the Black Cat considered this, shuddering to realize that he'd sooner lose everyone's respect than lose his innocence to Narumi if he fainted.

He shivered involuntarily. "Fine. Then I guess we'll just have to ask for help," he said, his voice coming out stronger than he felt. He squared his shoulders, took a lungful of air, and then -

Using the advantage of his position behind the Black Cat, Narumi clamped a hand over Natsume's mouth, shutting him up effectively. "Shh! Do you want Serizawa-sensei to hear you?"

Natsume shook his head, prying his teacher's hands off of him. "Are you _crazy_? We're trapped in this little box and you're still thinking of Serizawa hearing me?" he snapped, his voice booming inside the cabinet. "Don't you want to get out of here?"

"Well _duh_. I'm on a mission, remember?" Narumi said matter-of-factly. "If Serizawa-sensei finds out I'm spying on him, what does that make me?"

"A failure, which you've always been," Natsume shot back in irritation.

Narumi frowned. "We're not leaving until I finish," he said, with a tone of finality.

"Like I'll agree to that," Natsume muttered, turning his head as far as it could, to give Narumi a well-deserved glare.

"Of course you will."

"Don't bet on that."

Narumi raised an eyebrow at him. "You do know Serizawa-sensei, don't you?"

"Just get to the point," he said impatiently.

The blond sighed dramatically, his face illuminated by the faint light from outside. "He also has a reputation for blackmailing."

Natsume paused. "Blackmailing?" The word reminded him of a certain raven-haired genius, whose business he had never been particularly fond of. Suffice to say, he did not like where this one seemed to be going.

"Uh-huh. He even blackmailed Persona one time," Narumi nodded, almost sounding spooked.

Natsume huffed. "Persona?" Someone could actually blackmail _Persona_? "Oh yeah? What for?" he asked, curious despite himself. Hah, a little dirt on the Dangerous Ability Class moderator wouldn't hurt.

"Erhm, his makeup collection?"

The younger man nearly choked. "Seriously?"

"What, you think he borrows his black lipstick from Serina? Of course he has a collection."

Natsume smirked. "I thought he borrows them from _you_."

Narumi looked very offended. "Anyway, that's not the point," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "If Serizawa-sensei finds out we're here spying on him, he definitely won't like it, and most likely even blackmail us to keep us quiet."

"Like blackmail actually works on me," Natsume scoffed.

"What about if the blackmail is about finding you and me here _together_, hmm, Natsume, in this cozy little cabinet?" Narumi teased, a grin spreading across his face. "You're not one to care about what others think about you, but I think you can already imagine what the rest of the Academy would think once they hear of _this_."

The Black Cat caught himself, the implication of Narumi's words like a punch to his gut. Probably worse than the one he landed on Narumi days ago. _No no no no no. _

"As your homeroom teacher, I feel like being generous, and so I'm giving you a choice," Narumi offered, the evil glint in his eyes telling Natsume that he was, indeed, giving him _a_ choice. "So are you leaving, Natsume? Or are you staying with me in this closet until Serizawa-sensei finishes his business?"

Natsume gritted his teeth, swearing he'd find some way to make Narumi pay for this. "I'm _staying_."

Narumi gave a triumphant smirk. "I knew you'd see it my way."

This was, undoubtedly, the worst punishment the Black Cat had ever had.

**punishment.  
**_(to be continued)_

* * *

Longer piece, as promised!

I haven't started the next part(s) yet, so leave me a review if you have some ideas as to how the rest of the night will turn out for Natsume and Narumi. If they fit, I'll be sure to include them. :D

**Hilaire****  
12.12.10**


	15. Frustrations

Part 2/3.

* * *

**#15:  
****Frustrations**

Of all the people Natsume Hyuuga could be trapped in a closet with, it had to be Narumi.  
"Damn it, Natsume, don't take out your sexual frustrations on me!"  
"I don't have sexual frustrations!"

* * *

Natsume Hyuuga could scarcely believe his ill-fated life.

Wasn't it enough that he lost his family in a tragic accident so befitting his status as the (almost) main character of a series? Wasn't it enough that he had drawn the fourth shape of alice – the one that shortened his lifespan every time he used it? Wasn't it enough that he had almost no friends (diehard, obsessed fangirls don't count) because he had to play grumpy all the time, just to keep away people from him so they wouldn't get hurt by being so close to the impeding tragedy that was himself?

But _nooo_, he still _had_ _to _ be trapped inside some freaking cabinet with _Narumi_.

Once again, Natsume cursed his fate, wondering if perhaps he was in some fan fiction written by a bored teenager who did _not_ like him.

(Then again, that was highly improbable. He was Natsume Hyuuga, and _everyone _ loved him without condition. Like, seriously. If anyone could dislike him after what he'd been through, that someone would have to be _inhumane_.)

(He decided to shut out the memory of being told that a certain Hilaire had declared that she preferred Narumi to him any day.)

"You all right, Natsume?" Narumi asked, disrupting his miserable thoughts.

"I'll be much better if you don't talk to me."

Even without turning, Natsume could already imagine his teacher pouting. "I was just asking."

"I was just answering."

Narumi huffed. "You're so unfriendly."

"And you're _too _ friendly."

"How long exactly are you going to keep this up?"

"Until you shut up."

When his teacher didn't answer, Natsume sighed in relief, only to realize that Narumi's attention was suddenly drawn to the library outside. Despite himself, Natsume found himself sneaking a quick look through the keyhole. Hell, he might as well amuse himself to forget his current predicament.

Natsume furrowed his eyebrows at the sight outside. Serizawa was seated behind a desk, reading a very thick textbook of the subject he was teaching. "So the rumors are true!" he heard Narumi exclaim.

"He's just reading a textbook," he pointed out, feeling insulted when he remembered that Narumi was supposed to be genius like himself.

_As if._

"Who reads textbooks these days?" Narumi asked sarcastically, getting Natsume to think. The student hardly remembered when the last time was that he actually bothered reading for school. "What, he's preparing for his lessons tomorrow?"

"Some teachers actually _teach_, y'know," he muttered. Unlike Narumi, most of his teachers actually performed their job instead of harassing their students every chance they got. "They're not all like you."

Narumi only laughed at this. "A pity, don't you think?"

_More like lucky, _Natsume thought, because he'd probably burn the whole Alice Academy to the ground if all his teachers were like Narumi. Seriously, one was more than enough. A bunchload more and…

Natsume cringed, choosing to keep himself occupied by Serizawa instead. The teacher looked pretty engrossed in what he was reading, and Natsume had to give it to him: Serizawa had the right to give those unspeakably difficult exams. He knew his stuff very well, elaborating on every point and effortlessly simplifying complicated concepts. "So what exactly does the Academy want you to do with Serizawa?"

"Keep an eye on him, is all," his teacher said casually.

Natsume frowned. "Wait a minute - so they didn't specifically ask you to go here at this time of the night to do this?"

"Nope." Narumi grinned at him. "It was a flash of genius."

The younger man gave him a glare. "More like a flash of perversion."

"Well I didn't know you were going to be here, did I?" Narumi paused, seeming to consider this. "Oh wait: I _did_." He clapped his hands happily. "Regardless, I'm glad you're here. It would have been boring if I was the only one here alone."

Natsume suppressed his shiver, wondering if his reputation mattered so much that he'd endure being stuck inside a freakishly tiny closet with Narumi. He peered outside, envying the tranquility on Serizawa's handsome face. Damn, that could seriously not be the face of someone who forced himself on his student!

Otherwise could be said about Narumi, though, who very much looked like a pervert even from miles away.

"You sure he's having an affair with his student?" Natsume asked, for the purpose of having a conversation. It didn't take a genius to figure out that his teacher got very easily distracted by gossip. Might as well put up with that than put up with indecent advances.

"Of course I'm sure. We were given reports."

"That they do it in the library?" he asked absentmindedly. When Narumi didn't respond, Natsume shot him a glare. "Now what?"

"What do you mean by _it_?" Narumi asked innocently.

Natsume groaned. "You know what _it_ is that I'm talking about!"

"I seriously don't," Narumi said, his expression so grave it was hard to believe.

"Now is not the time to play the prude, Narumi – "

"Oh!" Narumi's face lit up. "You mean if they're having sex in the library?"

So much for tact. "Well _duh_, what else would they do in the library?"

"Read books?" Narumi offered, and received a painful shove. "Ow. What else are they supposed to do in the library!"

"You just told me that nobody reads textbooks these days!"

"Well apparently Serizawa-sensei does!" Narumi retorted, stroking his chest. "All I know is that the report said they often meet in the library. I was only sent to see if that's true, and get more information if I can."

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Then shouldn't they have just placed some cameras here? That's more foolproof than sending _you_ here."

Narumi nodded. "They actually wanted to."

"… and?"

"I told them it's no fun."

Natsume glared at his teacher. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am." Narumi grinned. "I take my amusement very seriously, Natsume."

It was at this moment that the library door opened again, shushing both Narumi and Natsume as they took a look at who it was. "Emina Sakoshita," Narumi murmured, squinting through the gap.

Natsume frowned, wondering if there must be some sort of mistake. Emina Sakoshita was a perfect student, ranked top-star for her genius and dangerous alice. She was kind and friendly and generous, and…

"Apparently she's not as perfect as she seems to be," Narumi said, sounding so wistful that Natsume had to turn to him.

"They're not even doing anything," he said, watching as Emina stopped a few paces away from Serizawa. The young woman had an unfamiliar expression of irritation on her face, regarding her teacher with contempt.

"_Yet_," Narumi added quietly.

Outside, Emina was furious. "I was expecting you in my room," she said, her matching dark dress and black boots indicating that she had just arrived from a mission.

"Ooh, she's already acting like she's his wife," Narumi cracked, apparently finding all of it very amusing instead of worrying.

Despite himself, Natsume had to agree. Serizawa remained smug and unruffled, but he didn't seem to mind his student's temper. "I take it that you don't know of the cameras overlooking your room?"

Emina looked a little put off by this information. "You could have just destroyed them," she insisted after a thoughtful pause.

Serizawa threw one leg casually over the other, looking over to his student nonchalantly. "I didn't want to do something so unnecessary."

"You think they do _it_ when they're in her room?" Narumi whispered.

"What else are they supposed to do?" Natsume muttered, not entirely pleased to be interrupted from listening.

"Sleep?" Narumi offered, and received another hard shove. "Damn it, Natsume, don't take out your sexual frustrations on me!"

"I don't have sexual frustrations!"

Narumi shrugged. "There's no need to be shy, Natsume; it's absolutely normal for young men your age to feel that way sometimes."

"I said I have no sexual frustrations, you - !"

The two of them froze when they heard Emina's voice. "Who's that?" she murmured, her voice cold and quiet and dangerous; and when Natsume peeked outside he saw her glaring in the direction of the closet.

_Uh-oh._

"She heard us," he muttered, starting to feel anxious. He had worked gone to several missions with Emina Sakoshita, and even he was quite terrified of her alice, whether he admitted it or not.

"No she didn't," Narumi said, and before Natsume could react, clamped a hand over his student mouth. "Now all you have to do is shut up, Natsume, and I assure you, she'll go away."

Natsume cringed, feeling all the hairs in his body raise as Narumi pulled him closer in an awkward one-arm hug from behind. _What the fuck are you doing? _ he wanted to scream, trying to pry Narumi's hands off of him.

Outside, Serizawa was speaking to Emina. "There's no one there. The library has been deserted before I even arrived here."

Emina huffed. "I'm sure I heard someone." She knocked on the cabinet, making both men inside stop short. "Shall I set this on fire, then?"

Inside, Narumi and Natsume both swallowed.

"I'm not wearing my inhibiter. Your alice won't work anywhere near me," Serizawa said.

Emina grumbled something like '_Damn your nullification alice' _before Natsume heard her walk away, making him and his teacher sigh in relief. At this Narumi turned away from the hole he had been looking through, impressively still restraining Natsume with only one hand.

"I've a reason to believe that Miss Emina Sakoshita is scarier than Serizawa-sensei, Natsume. I don't think she'll like it if she catches us spying on them."

Natsume agreed with that, but he felt absolutely pathetic being pinned down like he currently was. And by Narumi, too! He twisted under his teacher's grasp, growing more furious when he realized that he didn't even seem to bother Narumi.

Where the hell did the pervert get all his strength?

"I'll let you do if you promise to shut up," Narumi said, bending over so that his eyes met Natsume's, a sly little smirk playing on his lips. "All right, Natsume?"

Without much thought, the young man only nodded, sputtering when Narumi finally let go. "Y-You… you fucking pervert."

Narumi shot him a warning look, an evil glint in his eyes. "Keep talking and I'll kiss you."

Natsume didn't have to be told twice.

**frustrations.  
**_(to be continued)_

* * *

The next one will conclude Natsume's little closet experience. Hopefully I'll be able to post it before the year ends. :)

**Hilaire****  
12.29.10**


	16. Clandestine

Part 3/3.

Ever heard of anyone who crams her fic? That's me. =P

* * *

**#16:  
****Clandestine**

Of all the people Natsume Hyuuga could be trapped in a closet with, it had to be Narumi.  
"It's not my fault if polka dots wears loose underwear."  
"Didn't you pull it down?"

* * *

Natsume was still recovering from Narumi's twisted idea of a threat when he heard Emina from outside, talking to Serizawa about the mission.

"How intimate," Narumi noted, elevating an eyebrow when he noticed his student's silence. "Oh my. I didn't overdo it, did I?"

Natsume sneered. "You damn well did," he snapped, and bit his tongue when he realized he risked himself being kissed by his teacher. _Hell no. No way I'm getting my first kiss from him, the bastard._

"I was joking, y'know," Narumi said, smiling uncertainly now. Hah, the fool was starting to feel guilty. Good to know that he still had a conscience left; it rarely manifested itself, anyway.

Natsume stepped back as far as he could (half-an-inch or so), keeping his mouth shut. Somehow he figured Narumi was joking, but still: He'd rather not risk it.

"You remember I have a wife, right?"

Natsume snorted, unable to help himself. "I still don't even _believe_ you have a wife," he muttered, remembering how news of his homeroom teacher getting married circulated in the Academy over a year ago. Narumi, getting married, and to a _girl_, no less.

Everyone was so sure it was the end of the world.

"Well believe it," Narumi nodded with a little laugh. "She'll probably throw a chair at me if she finds out about this."

"Maybe I should tell her about this," Natsume said dryly, the thought of Narumi getting owned by a girl appealing to him by the minute. "Yeah, maybe I will."

Much to his amusement, Narumi looked a little terrified by this threat. "Ehrm, I don't think you should do that."

_Ooh. _"Hm," he grumbled noncommittally. Emina and Serizawa were still talking outside, the distance between them too close for comfort. The young woman had pushed aside Serizawa's textbooks and was seated on the table instead, legs crossed.

"Should she really be seated like that?" Narumi intoned, sounding almost offended as he turned to the student beside him. "Bet you ten bucks he can see under her skirt."

"It's _obvious_, stupid," Natsume snapped. "Bet you twenty he'll be under her skirt in no time."

Narumi nodded, looking impressed by the bet. "I don't think I'll bet against that."

The two quietly watched as Serizawa remained passive where he was seated, giving perfunctory nods as was necessary. He crossed his arms over his chest, making no attempt to close the distance between himself and his student.

"It was exhausting," Emina told him. "Everyone on my team is good, but they're not as good as the Black Cat. I wish Persona would listen to me and train them more before letting them go with me on missions."

"You sure you're going to tell on them?" Natsume said, suddenly inspired by Emina's words.

"Look who's flattered."

"You're not the only one who has the right to feel good about himself, bastard."

Outside, Serizawa still hadn't spoken a word, earning him a frown. Emina leaned over to him, narrowing her eyes carefully. "Are you angry with me, Serizawa-sensei?"

He shrugged. "Angry? Why should I be?"

She seemed bothered by this indifferent response. "You don't seriously expect that I will stop going to those missions, do you?"

"Just because I want you to? Of course not," Serizawa said, expression hardening just a little. "What I expect is that you take care of yourself."

Natsume furrowed his eyebrows, not until then noticing Emina's slight tremble. Her whole body seemed to be quivering, although she was doing pretty damn well at keeping it from the untrained eyes. "She's shaking," he murmured.

Narumi frowned at him. "I thought you knew: Her alice weakens her every time she uses it. A bit like yours."

"But her alice doesn't take the fourth shape," Natsume remarked, and scoffed when he realized that this was probably the first time that he talked to his teacher as normally as this. "We're actually talking like you're not a pervert."

"Don't act like you're not one yourself," Narumi shot back with a little smirk. "Don't think I've forgotten about the panty incident, or the time you got trapped in the haunted house – "

"It's not my fault if polka dots wears loose underwear," Natsume said, remembering Mikan's first day in the Academy. Gracious, Narumi had to bring it up of all things.

"Didn't you pull that down?"

"It _fell_."

"What, it randomly fell off? You gotta be kidding, Natsume; I've had enough experience to know that they don't just fall off randomly."

"And what might those experiences be?"

"Oh, I'd rather keep it to myself," Narumi laughed. "Although, you can't seriously be saying that Mikan suddenly losing her underwear every time you're around is pure coincidence."

"I'm just saying I didn't pull it down the first time, okay?"

"So you admit to pulling it down the times after?" _THWACK!_ "Ow! Fine, I'll give it a rest!"

" – I can take care of myself!" Emina snapped, making Natsume and Narumi both turn to look. The young woman had jumped off the table, glaring down her teacher who remained where he was seated.

Serizawa cracked a smirk. "You say that even when you're trembling in front of me."

"What's with her alice?" Natsume asked, suddenly wondering what shape Emina's alice took. Now that he thought about it, he realized he didn't know much about the older alice.

"A bit like the fourth type, although less extreme," Narumi said. "It doesn't kill her, but it makes her very, very weak."

"That doesn't seem to be the case," Natsume said, noting how despite her trembling, Emina could still stand up and even argue with her teacher. "She looks fine to me."

"But she's still trembling," Narumi said. "It was worse before, when she couldn't go to class for almost a month after one mission."

"So they cured her?" he asked, finally recalling that Emina was one of the dangerous ability students with the frailest health condition. In a moment of conceit, he had once asked Persona to keep her in the Academy than take her with them, saying she was more of a burden if she felt weak.

Narumi smirked at him like that was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. "The Academy knows that her alice sucks the life force out of her, but they don't know how to restore it." He nodded to Serizawa. "He knows how to."

"Tch," Natsume mumbled, a bit impressed.

"Did you notice around what time Emina started recuperating more quickly?"

Natsume stared outside, pondering. "It takes time, but I'll heal myself," Emina was saying, fists clenched at her sides. "I don't need your help."

"Around the time Serizawa arrived?" he guessed, starting to catch Narumi's drift. "So he helps her restore her life force?"

"He restores her life force."

Natsume had to blink at this. "Wait, _what_?" He frowned. "How does he do that?"

"He gives his own life force to her," Narumi shrugged. "At least I figured out that much."

"So doesn't that diminish his own life force?"

Narumi seemed amused by this. "That sounds pretty romantic, that he's dying to keep her alive – but no, it doesn't affect him at all. It would seem to be his second alice: the ability to restore life force."

"Well I didn't know that." Natsume thought this over for a while. "So… shouldn't the Academy thank him for helping one of their best students?" He doubted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth; he knew the Academy well enough to know how ungrateful it could be.

"They don't know that. The reports to them only say that Serizawa is fooling around with Emina; not that he's restoring her life force."

"Then how come you know all this?"

"I made it my business," Narumi said with a little smile.

Natsume elevated an eyebrow. "Wait a minute – your wife - "

Narumi cut him off with a laugh. "She wasn't exactly my student."

The Black Cat was still frowning. "You mean to tell me you signed up for this to help Serizawa?"

"It depends on what I see tonight," Narumi said.

Natsume heaved an exasperated sigh, suppressing the new-found respect he found for his teacher. _Dammit, Natsume, now's not the time to be impressed by Narumi. Like, seriously. Not Narumi, of all people!_

Emina was halfway out of the library when her legs gave in, and she would have staggered to the floor if Serizawa wasn't quick enough to catch her. "You stupid, stupid girl," he snarled furiously, cradling her in his arms.

"Which is why I told you – " Emina spat, in between gasps " – to be in my room!"

"I was going to, but then you had to be stubborn and march up here yourself," Serizawa said, and before she could breathe another word, pulled her into a kiss. It was deep and rough and forceful; with such an intensity that left both Narumi and Natsume wordless where they stood.

Natsume narrowed his eyes, unsure what to make out of what was happening before himself. "He kisses her to give her the life force."

"Uh-huh. The alice requires contact between the one who gives the life force and the one who receives it."

"That's one hell of a contact," Natsume muttered when he gathered himself. He wondered how many girls Serizawa had used this alice on; this was pretty convenient – too convenient for his own good, actually.

Narumi scratched his cheek. "It's more effective if it's more intimate."

Natsume froze. "She… she said she told him to go to her room – " His eyes widened at the implication of the words. "You mean – "

"Uh-huh."

"Don't uh-huh me; it means they're really doing _it_ inside her room!"

"Will you please be clear what _it_ is?"

"You already said uh-huh; that means you get what _it _ means!" He stopped to look outside once more. "They're seriously not going to – "

"Have sex?"

He shot his teacher a sharp look. "They're seriously not going to have sex here, right?"

"What, you're suddenly sensitive now? You who pulls down innocent Mikan's underwear – "

"I do _not_!"

"Liar!"

"Pervert!"

"You're one to speak!"

"You have problems!"

"Well then name one!"

"You hit on kids!"

"You're hardly a kid!"

"Hah! So you do admit you're hitting on me!"

"I'm just saying you're hardly a kid!"

"Stop denying it!"

"At least I'm not a wimp like you!"

"Who did you just call _wimp_?"

"You!"

"Take that back!"

"I'm only telling the truth!"

"Where's the truth in that?"

"You can't even fess up, and you're already fifteen!"

"There's nothing to fess up!"

"Stop denying it!"

"Shut up!"

"You're a sick little brat, pulling someone's underwear – !"

"You're one to speak!"

"Unlike you, I don't pull anyone's underwear!"

"But you even threatened to kiss me!"

"It was a joke!"

"No it wasn't!"

"Buy a sense of humor!"

"I can't believe your wife married you!"

"She _loves _ me!"

"I don't believe you!"

"Like that changes anything!"

"I'm going to tell her on you!"

"Let me see you try!"

"Watch me succeed!"

"You're a terrible spy, Narumi-sensei."

Both men inside the closet froze when they heard Serizawa speak to them from outside, realizing that their argument had been far too loud to be contained inside the cabinet. Natsume leveled his eyes to where the keyhole was, startled to find himself staring into Serizawa's cruel pair of greens.

"Black Cat?" Serizawa asked, and tossed back his head with an evil laugh. "This is truly, very interesting. What are you two doing in there?"

"It's not what it looks like!" Natsume denied vehemently, remembering Narumi's warning about Serizawa's blackmailing schemes.

"I was going to spy on you, but then Natsume pushed me into this tiny closet with him and – " _THWACK!_ " – dammit. Fine, so you weren't supposed to see or hear us, so we hid here."

"It was his idea!" Natsume snarled.

Serizawa smirked, carrying Emina in his arms. The young woman was looking faint but breathing steadily. "Are you going to tell on us, Narumi-sensei?" she asked, her voice coming out stronger than she looked.

"I see no reason to," Narumi said, and when Natsume glanced at him he saw his teacher's contemplative expression. He seemed to be thinking things through – a nice change for someone as reckless as he was.

Serizawa frowned. "_What_?"

Narumi gave a shrug. "Oh, but it's beautiful, you know. I want to see where you're going with this."

"Are you sure you're supposed to be saying that?" Natsume grumbled. If he was asked, he'd say Narumi was insane to let Emina and Serizawa let off the hook so easily. Whatever happened to the unwritten rules against student-teacher relationships?

"You're telling me you'll keep this to yourself?" Serizawa asked, with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"That's right. It's not my secret to tell, after all," Narumi said. "That's for you to decide."

Emina closed her eyes. "Who else knows?"

"Only Natsume, aside from myself. The higher-ups have reports, but they don't have concrete evidence to confront you about this." Narumi leaned against the surface. "Don't you have plans of telling them yourself?"

"As if they would listen," Serizawa said.

"They would," Narumi assured. "Many times before, they have. The Academy isn't as deaf as you believe it to be. It has its flaws and missteps, but they know how to listen."

"They have, huh," Emina whispered, her eyes closing. "You sound like you've seen something like this before…"

Narumi smiled, barely flinching when Natsume elbowed him. "It will be difficult, given the circumstances, but things will work out just fine. They won't be able to afford losing someone as valuable as Miss Sakoshita, after all, and you're the only one who can save her, Serizawa-sensei."

"We'll see when the time comes, then, Narumi-sensei," Serizawa said. He turned on his heel, his sleeping student in his arms, only to pause when Narumi called him back. "What is it?"

"I will keep your secret, Serizawa-sensei, but you have to promise me you'll take care of Miss Sakoshita. I trust you to keep her safe, and I hope you will do nothing to anger me or the Academy."

"Tch." Serizawa held his young lover closer, his lips against her ear. "You don't need to tell me that, Narumi-sensei. I love Emina, and I won't let anything happen to her." With that, he walked to the door. "That's a promise."

Narumi gave a contented sigh. "That's all I needed to hear, Serizawa-sensei. This will be our little clandestine, then."

"You sure that's okay?" Natsume asked, when Serizawa was finally out of the room.

"Of course I am. I went through the same thing, and it turned out just fine."

"But it's different with you."

"How different? Serizawa loves Emina, just how I love my wife."

Natsume cringed; hearing Narumi speak of love so naturally was definitely strange. "Heh. You better keep an eye on those two."

"I plan to. I'm taking responsibility for them both."

"I didn't think you took responsibility for anyone."

"Don't start."

Natsume rolled his eyes. "I want to get out of here already, which is why I'm letting you get away with it this time." At this the young man pressed a hand against the surface, ready to blast the closet open. He counted to three, and then finally willed his flames to come out.

Nothing happened.

"Is something wrong, Natsume?"

The younger man scowled, the feeling of dread coming back to him. "My alice is not working."

"Are you serious?" Narumi asked, although he didn't sound very worried by this.

"Of course I'm serious! What, you think I enjoyed the last hour spent inside here with you?"

Narumi clapped his hands together. "Oh, but I think it was wonderful! We got to learn more about each other!"

"I didn't learn anything new about you; I only established the fact that you really are a pervert!"

"Hypocrite!"

"Take that back!"

"No way! You panty-pulling fifteen-year-old!"

Natsume gritted his teeth. "I'm not wasting my breath on you." Once more he pushed his hand against the surface, bidding his flames to come out. "Come on, work!"

Narumi was thoughtful when he spoke. "Maybe this is the enchanted closet they were speaking of?"

"What enchanted closet?"

"You know, the sort that only opens with a special key or something?"

It was then that the library door opened again, making Natsume's features light up in hope. "Serizawa came back! Let's ask for help!" he said, sounding more excited than he was willing to admit.

The two of them peered outside, only to draw back immediately afterwards. "Is that who I think it is?"

"Imai," Natsume said darkly. His classmate was carrying a stack of textbooks with her, looking as if she'd stay up all night to finish them. Damn, she was probably studying for the tests in advance.

"You really want to ask for her help?"

"Not particularly, no." Natsume grimaced, already imagining how the girl would blackmail him if she saw him with Narumi inside the freaking closet. _Of all the rotten luck!_

"So we'll just stay here."

Natsume swallowed – hard, cringing at the mere thought of spending the rest of the night with Narumi. "We'll leave when she goes to the bathroom."

"All right."

A few seconds later, Natsume screamed in his head when he felt Narumi pinch his butt.

**clandestine.**

* * *

Don't ask where the wife came from, coz I don't know either.

Let's welcome 2011 with a smile! :)

**Hilaire****  
12.31.10**


	17. Why

Sequel-ish to _snippet #2: Courage_. I advise you to read that before this one.

* * *

**#17:****  
Why**

Misaki smirked, smugly. "Aced the exam."  
"You didn't use up all five pages for one essay again, did you?" Narumi asked curiously.

* * *

"I see a smile on your face, Misaki. Did something good happen?"

Misaki looked up from his book, his smile twisting into a smirk when he saw Narumi walking up to him. He held up a piece of paper, cocking his head smugly. "Aced it."

The younger man furrowed his eyebrows. "You mean the exam?" he asked, taking a seat opposite his friend.

"Uh-huh."

"You didn't use up all five pages for one essay again, did you?" Narumi asked curiously.

Misaki snorted. "Hell no. In fact, I answered only _one _ word."

Narumi gave a little laugh. "Oh?"

"The question was a simple _'Why?'_," Misaki said, "which is why I answered an equally simple _'Because'_."

"Impressive," Narumi nodded, staring at the mostly blank paper that his best friend was so proud of. He pushed the paper away, barely keeping the laughter than threatened to escape his lips. Misaki was such an arrogant bastard sometimes. "You even got a 96% for it."

"Yes, well, 96% is the highest mark that Nigou-sensei gives," Misaki defended with a huff.

Narumi blinked, making sure that the look on his face was as innocent as he could make it. "You don't say?"

At this Misaki frowned. "It's true. Almost everyone had the same answer as I did, and we all got 96% for this exam." He stared hard at his best friend. "Wait, don't you have the same answer as we do?"

The blond shrugged. "I've never been one to conform," he said, and chuckled at the irritation that littered Misaki's face.

"Did you get a higher grade than I did?" Misaki demanded.

"Perfect score," Narumi admitted, gloating dripping in his tone. "Although, I don't think you can question this one; my answer is definitely longer than yours this time around."

Misaki 's frown deepened. "_Perfect score_? Your answer was an essay?"

"Nope; too lazy to write," Narumi said, and pulled out his exam results from his pocket. "Two words."

"_Two_ _words_?' Misaki repeated incredulously, and snatched his paper out of Narumi's hands. "The question was _'Why?' _and you answered – "

_Why not?_

**why.**

* * *

This is so silly, but what the hell, it's been lying around since January. I thought I'd share it with you guys. :)

**Hilaire****  
04.03.11**


	18. Heartbreak

Short and bittersweet.

* * *

**#18:  
****Heartbreak**

Because Alice Academy is a lie, and its teachers are a liar; and Narumi hates them all for being so.

* * *

He is young, heartless, and cruel; just as he's made himself as he saw fit. Because he's seen too much, and he's heard too much; and together with everyone else he has long lost faith in both himself and the system he once put so much trust in.

_Yours is the most powerful alice there is, _they tell him, to which he gives no other response but a smirk – a stubborn refusal to admit the truth in their words.

Because Alice Academy is a lie, and its teachers and administrators are a liar; and Narumi hates them for being all so, but he hates them the most for telling him that one truth he doesn't want to hear in his lifetime.

_She loves you because of your alice._

**heartbreak.**

* * *

**Hilaire  
****04.07.11**


	19. Love

Spinoff of _Heartbreak_.

_Heartbreak Arc _ : Part 1 of 4.

* * *

**#19:  
****Love**

"You love him because of his alice," they tell her.

* * *

She is younger than Narumi; but she isn't stupid or silly or naïve, and she knows how the world works more than others might think she does. Because she's seen too much, and she's heard too much; but unlike him and unlike everyone else, she's still kept her faith and kept herself true; the one person who promised to be the only truth to him when everything and everyone else is a lie.

_You love him because of his alice, _the Academy tells her ominously, like she's been damned by an irrevocable curse; and from the other side of the mirror where he stands, he watches as her lips part ever so slightly in surprise, her eyes widening as they stare at the faceless administrators like they've gone mad.

Because she knows about the human pheromone alice; from the very beginning, he has made sure she does. It has taken him a while to understand, or perhaps it has taken him a while to admit he's always understood: He holds her dear enough to let her know the truth, no matter how ugly or wicked or vile.

(And his alice is the truth, even when it's also the biggest lie; and like anything that's both the truth and a lie it's ugly, wicked, and vile.)

_How do you feel for him, at this moment, without his alice to manipulate you? _they ask.

(And they're lying, because she's still standing within his alice's range and he can still control her as he wishes, if he chooses to.)

It takes a second longer for her to respond, and all the while he feels like the world is shattering under his feet. He holds his breath (like it will kill him to breathe), only to flinch when she laughs, and without a pause tells them:

_I love him, still, _she confirms, in between her fits of laughter.

He doesn't understand why she's laughing, or what is so amusing, but he's just desperately relieved to bother. He staggers out into the academy grounds, catching his breath – _She said she loves me – _and soon he finds her running to him, and before he can even breathe a word she flings herself at him and claims his lips in a kiss so warm and selfish it hurt.

_She said she loves me, _he assures himself, closing his eyes as he pulls her closer, possessively and imperiously (because she's his and his alone, just as she's always been.)

_It doesn't matter that it hurts._

It must be love.

**love.**

* * *

**Hilaire****  
05.12.11**


	20. Poison

_Heartbreak Arc : _ Part 2 of 3.

* * *

**#20:  
****Poison**

Once the doubt is cast, it lingers in the heart – a steady poison to your love.

* * *

_**i. **_

The doubt has been cast, and it lingers in the heart.

_Like poison, _ she muses. It's three days later, and still she thinks of the conversation she had with the administrators of the Academy. She doesn't tell anyone , but it's kept her up since it happened, and she can't deny that it bothered her – and it still does.

She's not sure why it should; because she knows for sure that she loves Narumi, and no one should be able to make her doubt the truest truth she's ever known in her lifetime. Regardless, the unease remains, like something hasn't quite fallen into its place, and she's too clueless to make things right because she doesn't even know what's wrong to begin with.

(It's only during the evening, when Narumi comes to speak to her, that she figures out what's wrong.)

_It's you, _she breathes, rising from under the shadows of their tree to meet him. She catches his mirthless gaze, and in that instant she finds herself asking what can be terribly wrong under a sky so clear and a moonlight so perfect.

_We need to talk,_ he says, grimly; and when he holds out his hand to her she sees seven elaborately embellished rings on his fingers.

She hesitates, her eyebrows furrowing at the sight of the alice inhibiters that adorned him, and realizes that it's the first time she' s seen him wear so many to restrain his alice. _Narumi, _she murmurs, surprising even herself by the sadness in her voice.

_Hm?_

_I'm terrified of losing you, _she tells him, her voice sounding more earnest than she's ever been; and she wonders just a little why it feels like saying goodbye. She watches him pause, his violet eyes filling with a sudden torrent of emotion that is so familiar and parallel to hers, but in an instant it's gone and he's already captured her hands in his.

_You won't, _he tells her darkly, and looks away. _You will never lose me._

* * *

_**ii.**_

The two of them walk in silence for a while, under the pale orange lights that line the Academy grounds. Every so often she tightens her grip on his hand, assuring herself that nothing has changed and that he's still hers; and that if there's one lie that the Academy cannot make either of them believe, it's how her love for him is only a spell created by his alice.

She takes a deep breath, pushing her fears to the back of her mind, and pulls away to halt her tracks. _Does it still bother you? _she asks him, watching him stop a few paces from where she is. It's then that she notices they're standing under a lamppost opposite a sparkling water fountain, and wonders how everything else can look so calm and seamless when her own heart is thrown into confusion and turmoil.

He smirks, his violet eyes devoid of any light or mirth. _It does. _He puts a hand inside his pocket, turning his gaze away from hers in frustration. _It's what I want to talk to you about._

She narrows her eyes thoughtfully at him, a sudden coldness creeping over her being. _What about it? _she asks, even when she doesn't want to hear, and for a moment or two she feels the temptation to clap her hands over her ears and just _stop _ listening.

_The truth, _he says, the word sounding like a lie from his lips.

There is a moment of silence; the only sound the gentle slush of the water and the cool gust of wind around them. Finally, after what seems like a small eternity, she finds herself nodding to him her assent.

_The truth, _she repeats, and wonders at the bitter taste that it leaves in her mouth.

* * *

_**iii.**_

_The human pheromone alice is a curse, _Narumi once warned her, when he realized she had no intention of leaving him alone. She still remembers how his violet eyes flashed with a hint of exhaustion back then, like he's seen this play out many times over, only to see the same conclusion in the end.

Now she walks over to him, feeling a twinge in her chest as she sees in his violet eyes the same weariness that once haunted them: like he's back to the very beginning and he's witnessing yet another tragic ending for himself.

_Tell me the truth, _she demands, her fingers tracing the contours of his beautiful features.

(How can one so beautiful be so broken?)

_You risk both your heart and mind by being close to me, _he says, holding her trembling hand against his cheeks. _I warned you, didn't I?_

She nods, swallowing the whimper that threatens to escape her lips. Yes, yes she does. She remembers it so well, how stubborn she was and how she didn't listen. There used to be many existing reasons, but now she can only think of one, and it's because she's herself – a fool who's always been too proud and arrogant to believe that she'd fall into the spell of an alice.

He gives her a sad semblance of a smile. _Do you love me? _he asks, and in that moment she finally grasps the meaning of the alice limiters he's wearing: He's controlling his human pheromone alice to ascertain what she feels for him, and to make sure she's thinking and answering for herself when he asks the simplest, most damning question she's ever heard in her lifetime.

There is a long, stunned silence, like all the world is soundless and unspeaking; and in that swift second, everything shatters like glass before her eyes. She parts her lips to speak, her eyes widening when the words refuse to be uttered, and she sputters as the feeling of hesitation descends upon her heart.

_What's happening? _she rasps, horrified by her own uncertainty and doubt. She pulls away from him, unsteady on her feet; and she flinches at the almost literal conflict between her heart and her mind. She turns her gaze to the brilliance of the fountain lights, unseeing as she catches her breath, feeling like her own soul has been broken to a tiny million pieces.

Because suddenly nothing is making any sense – not the administrators who can think they can fool her, not the warring of thoughts and feelings that even she can't understand, not this unexpected reservation she's never felt before, and not the stupid question Narumi just asked her.

She loves him – she _knows_ she does – more than she can say and more than he can possibly know; but then she whirls around to where he is, and still she feels lost and alone even when he's standing so very close.

_Narumi, _she starts, her voice coming out as a hoarse, strained gasp when she realizes she can't continue, because once again the words refuse to be spoken, and the love she's been absolutely certain of until that instant is quickly slipping, like water between her fingers.

_It's all right, _he tells her, grimly and softly. _I've temporarily sealed off my alice._

He gives her a small, empty smile.

_This is the truth._

* * *

_**iv.**_

Alice Academy is a lie, and its teachers and administrators are a liar; and it's utterly ironic to know that they've finally spoken the truth when for the first time, in a very long time, it's their lies that she needs and wants to hear the most.

But perhaps it's their way to remind her of her own stubbornness and folly; because she once believed that she's too smart to fall in love only because of an alice, that she's too cunning to let it happen, and that she's too wise not to know if she does.

_What about when they talked to me? _she asks, unwilling to believe that her love for him has always been a dream. _You weren't –_

_I was there, _he answers softly. _I was watching from the other side of the mirror, and I – couldn't stop my alice. _He shakes his head, his violet eyes dead with longing and frustration, the dangerous mixture of anger and despair twisting his features. _I – I was being selfish. I wanted to keep you for myself._

She watches his heart shatter, like a fragile looking glass – a perfect reminiscence of how broken he used to be, many years before they meet; and in some detached part of her mind she wonders how this can be the truth when it hurts her to see him so dispirited, and there is only emptiness where her heart should be.

_No, _a small voice in her whispers – a stubborn denial that is characteristically hers. _It can't be. _She takes a step toward Narumi, each stride worsening the sharp throbbing that she feels in her chest; and she bites her lip when in this mist of untruth and confusion she almost, _almost _ makes out a different truth – something about herself that's so completely unlike what she's been told.

She shuts her eyes, clutching her shaky hands against her heart; and makes a desperate grab for this small, crucial detail that she somehow, somehow knows can change _everything_ – only to miss and lose it altogether when Narumi pulls her close to him in an embrace.

_I'm sorry, _he whispers, like a confession of man's gravest sin; and there is nothing left to do but give a hollow, empty laugh when it finally dawns on her that neither smart nor cunning is enough to go against an alice like the human pheromone alice, and she's been damned ever since the moment she underestimated it and its ability to cast its curse on her.

_Narumi, _she murmurs, desperately shaking her head in disagreement, no matter how weak; only to hush when the final puzzle piece at last falls into its place –

_You love me because of my alice_.

She throws her arms around his neck, surrendering to the sudden helplessness that overcomes her; and buries her face in his chest, holding him in her arms for what she knows is the last time, and lets the unbidden tears fall as she recognizes the truth in his words.

**poison.**

* * *

**Hilaire****  
06.05.11**


	21. Liar

_Heartbreak Arc : _Part 3 of 3.

* * *

**#21:  
****Liar**

You can't expect the truth from someone who lives a lie.

* * *

In the days that followed her conversation with the administrators, Narumi chose not to speak to her, instead preferring to keep himself in his room and think things through. He's been in the school for almost all his life, and he knows that what happened was only a prelude to the many conflicts that the Academy can stir.

She seems to have understood his isolation, and in those three days she kept her distance, seeming to be engaged in some sort of deliberation herself. She is worried for both of them – he sees it clearly in her tired eyes; but still her smile is unfaltering and her care for him genuine, with an unparalleled faith that he's never ever seen.

_How stubborn, _he thinks, just then realizing how much she trusts him. And so he smiles, no matter how faintly, when he finally walks up to her on the fourth evening, because for all his life he will remember that at some point in time, someone trusted him with all her heart.

_We need to talk, _ he tells her.

_About what?_

_The truth, _he tells her, the fatal word sounding like a lie from his lips. It took him three agonizing nights to reconcile himself with the decision he has long made, and it's almost funny how effortless he says it now; like it doesn't mean anything and there are no hearts to be won or lost once the die is cast.

There is a moment of silence; the only sound the gentle slush of the water and the cool gust of wind around them. He meets her gaze squarely, fighting the urge to pull her close and tell her everything is all right and nothing has changed.

Because he knows it's too late, and so he holds out his hand to her instead, the dark rings around his fingers gleaming ominously under the orange lights from a nearby lamppost.

_The truth, _she repeats softly, like it's the biggest lie she's ever heard, and he's the biggest liar she's ever seen.

'_You can't expect the truth from someone who lives a lie,'_ he once told her, and as he watches her nod her assent, he wonders if she remembers.

۞۞۞

He has always known that they will have to say goodbye.

Farewells have always been a part of his life; his alice more than made sure of this. He's known this ever since he was seven years old, and it's because of this that he's always kept himself from being too close. Farewells hurt, and they burn; because although they do not inflict physical pain, they leave him in anguish, terrified of the next beginning that will always have the same ending.

_(It's so lonely, _he sometimes muses, and wonders how this can be, when he's with so many who adore him and fall at his feet.)

He doesn't want to say goodbye; not to the one person who confessed her love for him without reservation. She's the most precious thing he's ever had in his lifetime, and it will kill him to bid her farewell; but it's exactly because he cares for her so much that he'll let her go.

A long time ago, before meeting her, he swore he would keep her to himself, no matter how selfish, once he finds her. Perhaps he's always been so naïve, because he actually thought he could. After all, what use is a damning alice like the human pheromone if it can't even make him protect the one person who means to him the most?

_You are a fool, _the administrators told him, with a dark, mocking chuckle that ensured nothing but harm for her. He is a fool, and Alice Academy is cruel; there is no way they will let him keep her, or let her keep him. The Academy does not need him sidetracked by anything, or anyone. He is too valuable to be lost, and most definitely not to her – _'this little distraction that has kept you enchanted for so long'._

The Academy takes its business more seriously than it lets on, and Narumi knows all too well that they will find a way to get her out of their way. His decision had to be made, and _quick_, for her sake and perhaps, for him and what remains of his sanity.

(_I'm so weak._)

He lets her trace the contours of his face with her fingers, watching her hand tremble as she does. _Do you love me? _ he asks, before he has the chance to falter. The words come out strong and steady, but he's unable to keep the sad smile from falling on his lips.

He watches as her eyes grow wide, perhaps in surprise and a sudden comprehension of the reason he wanted her to understand, for the rings on his fingers. She stops, and parts her lips to speak, only to sputter when her answer – her love for him – refuse to be uttered.

There is a long, stunned silence, like all the world is soundless and unspeaking; and in that swift second, everything shatters before her eyes. There is a flicker of uncertainty in them, like a traitorous poison to her faith; and Narumi sighs, with dark relief, until she raises her gaze to him again and asks:

_What's happening?_

She gasps, looking horrified as the doubt finally settles in her heart, and pulls away from him. She is unsteady on her feet, confused as she catches her breath, and while she turns away to gather herself, he steps back, throwing a dark look at the elaborately fashioned rings that suddenly feel heavier than they should.

He narrows his eyes, shifting his gaze from her to the adornment on his fingers, asking the same question that she has. _You –_ he starts, only to stop when she looks back to where he is, and pauses at the expression in her eyes, like her own soul has been broken into a tiny million pieces.

_Narumi, _she says, her voice coming out as a hoarse, strained gasp, like there are so many things that she needs to say but can't.

He clenches a quivering hand at his side, furious with himself for the hesitation that almost takes over him. _It's all right, _he reassures her, grimly and softly, because this is all he can do for the person who's the most important to him in the world. _I've temporarily sealed off my alice._

He gives her a small, empty smile; and utters the worst lie he's ever spoken in his life.

_This is the truth. _

۞۞۞

_No. It can't be, Narumi._

Narumi watches her shake her head, unwilling to believe what he just told her. _What about when they were speaking to me? _she asks, her chest heaving as a wild play of emotions showed in her eyes, her features hard and determined. _You weren't there – !_

_I was there, _he cuts off, fighting the urge to pull her in an embrace and tell her everything is fine. _I was watching from the other side of the mirror and – _he almost chokes, realizing the pain that each word he says is causing her, and it's taking a lot of her strength to keep her will from breaking _– I couldn't stop my alice. _

He manages a small, dead smile. _You answered as you had, because of the human pheromone alice. _

From where he stands, he watches as her heart breaks, like a fragile looking glass – looking just as broken he used to be, many years before they meet; and he curses himself for letting himself get too close to her, and for letting her go through this suffering, even if it's for her own sake.

She takes a tentative step towards him, clutching a hand over her chest, like every stride closer to him worsens her torment. _No, _he manages to choke out, suddenly unsure what to do as he watches her battle with herself – a stubborn refusal to accept what has been said. She stops a few paces away from where he is, biting her lip, like everything is so painfully untrue.

She looks up at him, and for a brief moment before she shuts her tearful eyes close, he makes out a flash of sudden, _almost_ understanding –

_She is fighting it._

In what seems like a small eternity, Narumi can only stand there, his violet eyes suddenly wide with alarm.

'_You can't expect the truth from someone who lives a lie,'_ he once told her, and as he closes the distance between them to wrap her in a traitorous embrace, realizes that she remembers.

_I'm sorry, _he whispers against her ears, staring blankly at the dark rings on his fingers as he pulls her closer, and for the last time. He feels her shoulders slacken under his hold, her ragged gasps easing into calmer, shallow breaths, until finally she laughs – an empty, hollow laughter that prompts him to hold her much closer, and tighter; realizing that the human pheromone alice isn't as potent as he or anyone else thinks it is.

_She knows – _he thinks almost frantically to himself, closing his eyes as she shakes her head against his chest. He takes a long, deep breath in an attempt to calm down, suddenly finding himself torn between giving a miserable laugh and shedding the tears that have been held for far too long within himself.

– _but there is nothing she can do about it._

(The human pheromone alice is absolute.)

"You love me because of my alice," he finally says, the words making him cringe with both fury and anguish for what he has chosen and done.

_I'm so weak._

She throws her arms around his neck, clinging to him helplessly as she trembles, and buries her face in his chest as she cries.

۞۞۞

Three minutes before midnight, Narumi finds himself standing in front of his room – a grand, expensive waste of space on someone who is no more than a hollow shell of a man. He enters, the shoulders that have been proud and unyielding throughout the day finally slumping as he leans against the closed door, defeated by a tragedy that can no longer be undone.

He stands unmoving for a while, letting his eyes grow accustomed to the darkness that has fallen over the room. Outside, the leaves stir against the midnight breeze, their dancing shadows a mockery of the happiness that he has thrown away.

_I want to be the only truth to you, when everything, everyone else is a lie, _she promised, a long time ago; when everything was right and he believed he could protect her – from the Academy, from all those who want him dead, and from the most formidable enemy that is no other than himself and his alice.

_I'm sorry,_ he whispers to the darkness, sliding down against the door as he trembles with a torrent of emotion that has been kept on leash for so long. He is exhausted, his eyes burning with unwilling tears, feeling like his heart has torn itself free of his chest.

Because it hurts, more viciously than he could have imagined; and yet there remains nothing to be done but carry on like nothing has happened and like no hearts have been broken. He is sorry – he is so very sorry that he betrayed her trust, that he couldn't be strong enough to be equally true to the only person who promised to be true and the truth to him.

_You answered as you had, because of my alice, _he told her; the one person who stubbornly befriended him despite his reputation, who defied his alice with a smug smile, and who willingly swore to him a love that challenged both his alice and his fate.

He stares down at his hands, scoffing at the seven dark rings on his fingers – these perfect, meaningless imitation of alice inhibiters – and removes each and every single one of them, like cleansing himself of all his lies.

_You love me because of my alice, _he said to her.

But this was a lie, because he is Narumi, and he is a liar.

**liar.**

* * *

Snippet #18 was a brief glance at Narumi's alice and its consequences; it was meant to be bittersweet and tragic. Even when I relented to write sequel snippets to it (#19-#21), my only concern was to draw it out long enough for the heartbreak to last (no pun intended). A happy conclusion hardly seems to suit it, hence this ending.

I love Narumi, and like all of you I would love to see him end happily with someone. However, I wanted to balance this with the canon circumstances; I wanted to give everyone a glimpse of what could have happened at one point in his life, because of both his alice and the Academy, the choices that he made, and why he made them.

Narumi was wearing seven rings – one for each deadly sin. :)

Review or PM me if you have questions. See you next snippet!

**Hilaire****  
07.17.11**


	22. Distraction

Keeping it light. :)

* * *

**#22:  
****Distraction**

"I don't understand why you insist on looking after Natsume," Misaki said, with a shake of his head.  
"You always end up getting hurt – badly."

* * *

"_Owww_."

"Shut up," Misaki snapped, shoving an icepack against Narumi's face unsympathetically. "You signed up to look after Natsume Hyuuga; don't '_Owww'_ me."

"I signed up to look after him; not to be his punching bag," Narumi grumbled, holding the icepack to his face with a pout. How he could act so childish after receiving an impressive uppercut was beyond Misaki, but he was Narumi, and he was, _indeed,_ childish.

Misaki shook his head as he gathered his things. "Yeah, but you seem to be asking to be punched in the face, with everything you're doing."

"And by 'everything you're doing' you mean…?"

"Harassing him. Sexually, if I might add."

Narumi skulked, although he didn't look even slightly offended by this remark. "The human pheromone alice requires me to actually _approach _ him. It's not my fault that he's an awkward, anti-social little bastard who doesn't know a thing about mingling with people."

"So it's his fault, all this?" Misaki asked, elevating an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Hell yes it is," Narumi agreed smugly. "I think he should even thank me for putting up with him and all his stupid escape-the-Academy schemes. As far as I recall, I'm the only teacher who lasted this long looking after him."

"Besides," he continued, "I'm _not_ sexually harassing him. That brat is obviously the bigger pervert between the two of us, imagining all sorts of stuff that I don't even have any intention of doing." He cocked his head arrogantly. "Just for the record, I prefer gorgeous ladies to immature, underdeveloped, disobedient brats like him."

"Oh," Misaki murmured, remembering Narumi's good mood after his date outside the Academy just the other night. It was still a wonder to the biology teacher how Narumi managed to sneak out, although it was probably best that he didn't know. "Now that I think about it, I don't understand why you insist on looking after Natsume." He frowned as he looked over his friend's bloody face. "You always end up getting hurt – badly."

Narumi heaved an irritated sigh. "I'm bored, Misaki. I need a distraction. Natsume is funny, if you can believe that; and is, therefore, a good distraction." He raised a hand to his face, and visibly grimaced when he felt the blood gushing out of his nose. "For example, I can't possibly be bored after realizing that that brat has left me slowly bleeding to death."

"I shouldn't have bothered asking," Misaki grumbled, throwing an incredulous glare at his best friend.

Narumi only laughed good-naturedly. "Why, did you want to hear something heartfelt, Misaki?" he asked, the tone of his voice turning just a shade more serious. "Something like I care about what happens to that badly brought up little brat?"

"Don't you?" Misaki prompted.

Narumi leaned back against the couch, turning his head up so that he was looking at the chandeliers on the ceiling. "I wanted to smack that kid upside the head when I first met him, let me tell you," he started, and it was all Misaki could do to not shake his head. "So impudent, so reckless, so… _stupid_. I was twenty-four and he was only six, and yet he acted like he knew all there was to know about the world, that pompous ass."

Misaki snickered. "Remind you of anyone?"

Narumi straightened up, throwing Misaki a curious look. "_Who_?" he asked, his expression a blank. It took a few moments later for the understanding to dawn on his face. "What, you mean _me_?" He looked grossly offended by the comparison. "Are you _kidding_? I wasn't anti-social when I was six."

"Yeah, but you were, as I remember, impudent, reckless, and very much stupid."

"A wonder, Misaki, because _I_ don't remember _that_," Narumi insisted, throwing himself back into a careless sprawl. "Let's just say I want stupid idiots like himself to realize, much earlier than I did, why there's very little to almost no reason to hate this school."

Misaki was silenced by this. "Oh."

"I threw away so many years of my youth hating the Academy that I didn't realize how much of my life I was already missing," Narumi said, in a quieter voice. "There are still so many students like I used to be, so consumed by hate and loneliness that they can't begin to try and understand the bigger picture – the reasons behind the Academy and what it does."

There was a pause, and then:

"I don't want them to realize too late how… _fortunate_ they are, to be in this school with other alices like themselves. Life is too short to be thrown away on something as useless as hatred."

Misaki stared at his friend for a long time. "You're serious with this, Narumi – " he said, only to blink when Narumi suddenly got to his feet, looking quite frightening with his bleeding nose and silly grin.

"Nah, I'm just playing," Narumi said with a laugh, and almost choked on his own blood. "Dammit, that Natsume! I'll order him to be my slave for weeks for making me lose so much blood the next time I see him!"

Misaki felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation. "I can't believe I fell for your drama," he muttered through clenched teeth, unsure whether he should be pissed with Narumi or himself.

"What, you think I care about that brat?" Narumi looked incredulous. "I'll kill that little bastard myself the first chance I get," he said with a sadistic laugh.

"What happened to your 'life's too short' lecture just seconds ago?" Misaki demanded, feeling quite sure that his blood pressure was rising.

"I was bored, Misaki," Narumi said pointedly. "I say profound, poetic things when I'm bored. It doesn't mean I actually mean any of them."

He clapped his hands together as he walked to the doorway. "Oh well! I shall be on my way to torture Natsume again. Please humor me, Misaki; it's only these little amusements in life that I enjoy, aside from sneaking outside the school to date pretty girls."

He winked at his friend, looking like a bloody survivor of a murder attempt, with all the blood on his clothes and face. "Later!"

It wasn't long before he left that Misaki heard someone fall to the floor, followed by a loud shrieking from the girls in the hallway. "I think he's dead!" a girl squealed.

The biology teacher ran a hand over his face in frustration, rising to go and help his friend. "Either Natsume or blood loss will kill that idiot."

**distractions.**

* * *

I had so much fun writing this; it's so light and funny and very Narumi. I hope you enjoyed reading, too. :)

**Hilaire****  
07.21.11**


	23. Light

Inspired by _I See the Light_ by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi. I love that epic Rapunzel movie. :)

* * *

**#23:  
****Light**

He was going to die.

* * *

He couldn't breathe.

The fifteen-year-old Narumi struggled against the weight of the shattered pillars that had pinned him down, gasping for as much precious air as he could. The structure had collapsed upon the enemy's wind alice, like the grave that the underground organization had promised them earlier during the evening.

_Damn it, _he thought, and would have growled it out loud if he had breath to spare. The column was heavy enough as it was, and the fact that he had been bleeding prior to making it to where the tower was did not help. Inwardly he cursed himself for being an idiot; he was going to die for trying to be some stupid hero that he was clearly not.

Underneath himself, something stirred, and grit his teeth was all he could do to keep his temper and fury under control. He pushed both his hands harder against the ground, simply too relieved that he still had the strength to bear the weight on his back. He had to pull himself up; the last thing he wanted was to crush the little girl beneath him. He hadn't leapt for her and got buried under all this rubble just to get her killed.

That was right; he had actually jumped for the girl to shield her from the falling debris. He didn't even know what must have come upon himself for doing something so thoughtless. It had been instinctive; he just _knew_ he had to protect her.

Still, that didn't make his actions any less stupid, and now he just might pay for it with his life. The thought bothered him more than he would care to admit, because, dammit, another life was on the line because of his recklessness.

He tried to look up, attempting to see if anyone was there to help them, only to be greeted by the shadows. It had been silent ever since the wielder of the wind alice from the AAO used his ability to try and kill him; the bastard probably thought he was already dead, and conveniently buried under the wreckage.

_That asshole, _he thought furiously, only to be distracted when he felt a hand against his chest. He looked down, feeling a sudden calm descend upon his heart when he saw the girl, looking so fragile under the shadow of the moon.

"I-It's… a-all r-right," he managed to whisper, flinching when he felt a fresh gush of blood from his wounded chest upon the pressure on his back. His shirt was soaked in his own blood, a side of his face bleeding profusely; he was suddenly so thankful it was very dark so she wouldn't have to see.

He lifted his gaze once more, freezing when he heard vicious laughter very close to where they were. "Ah, I see someone is still breathing," the person said, apparently having been silent only to locate where they were.

Narumi swallowed, squinting as he tried to make out even the faintest light; something that he and the other dangerous ability students had agreed to be their code of endurance, or whatever they called it. As long as there was light, no matter how far or faint, someone was alive: It meant death had yet to conquer the most elite of Alice Academy.

There was no light.

"Narumi of the dangerous ability!" the man taunted, the sound of his footsteps indicating that he was circling the ruins under where Narumi was trapped. "I'm surprised you actually threw your life on the line to save that precious little girl." He scoffed. "Last time I checked you weren't too keen on being a student of Alice Academy, much less doing the missions that they assign you."

Narumi gritted his teeth, his chest heaving as he persisted despite his critical injuries. He could feel his strength leaving him, and it wasn't long after that his wounded arm gave away. He gasped, loudly, as the weight fell upon him, and he rushed to regain his stead and forced himself to hold on so as not to be crushed under the wreckage with the little girl. _Dammit. _

"I see you're almost breaking, Narumi," the man said mockingly.

Narumi panted, feeling a trickle of blood rush down his cheek as he looked up. It was so difficult to be looking for light when his vision starting to blur; he was almost too sure that he would fall unconscious any moment now.

The man was right; he hated the Academy, and he hated all the missions that they assigned him to. What the hell was he doing risking his life to complete some dumb assignment that they had forced upon himself?

"Let's have a deal," the man said, his weight adding to the pressure on Narumi's back when he stepped on the pillars that had fallen over the younger alice. Underneath, Narumi struggled for breath, turning his head away from the girl when he started coughing blood. "I'll pull you out if you hand her over."

At this the young man stopped, his eyes widening in the darkness as he realized what the other person had said. For a moment or two he was quiet, unblinking, until finally he started laughing, wildly and maniacally. "Hand her over?" he shouted, unsure where he suddenly got the power to yell. Perhaps because the deal was so outrageously stupid. He hated the Academy, but he didn't hate it enough to let these bastards from the underground organization get the girl. "I'd rather _die _ than give her to you."

He felt the girl shift under him, and he smiled, despite himself. "I'll be damned if I give you to them," he said to her, wondering how he could sound so certain when there was no light and darkness was rapidly wrapping them in a sinister embrace.

"Stubborn, aren't we?" the man said, and gave a little jump. He was light, and the jump lacked the force to cause any break on the already shattered stone posts, but it was forceful enough to make Narumi cough up another mouthful of blood, his arms and shoulders giving away just a little even as he focused his energy on them.

"I see you understand how important she is," the man continued, easing the weight on Narumi's back when he jumped down.

Narumi felt a rush of cold breeze, realizing that the other alice must have been summoning the winds for an attack. "Dammit!" he hissed, and it was at that moment that a violent surge of air blew, with it a deadly, sizeable shard of the pillars – landing exactly on top of where Narumi was already under.

The young man caught his breath as he felt the impact, his body finally collapsing under the weight. He lurched, despite his dizziness instinctively pulling the girl into his arms to shield her from the crash; and in that split second just before he fell over, he almost, _almost _laughed, thinking how ironically hilarious it was for death to claim his life when he didn't want to die.

There was no light, and he was going to die.

He was going to die just when he was actually trying to keep himself alive; just when he decided that this assignment was worth risking his life for; and just when he realized that he wanted to save the little girl.

He had never feared Death; in fact he welcomed it every waking moment. But now, in this very moment where not only his life but also another's was on the line, he realized how terrifying it could truly be.

He was going to die, and even worse: _Someone was going to die because of him_.

It was then that the girl stirred, as if reminding him that it wasn't too late – they were both still breathing, weren't they?

"_Live_," the she said, her whisper like a scream in the midst of all the confusion that was suddenly upon both herself and Narumi. "_Please_ – " she implored, like a soul pleading for its release " – _live_."

He gritted his teeth, frustration welling up inside him at the mere thought of failure. He hated to admit it, but he was as much of an asshole as any alice was, and he prided himself in being the best in what he did. He held deep hatred for the Academy and everything that it ordered its students to do, but this was one assignment which would hunt him till the afterlife if he messed up.

Everything that the Academy and the dangerous ability students had gone through would come to nothing for his own rashness, and his stupidity was going to claim the life of an innocent little girl who had barely seen how beautiful it was to be outside the tower where they locked her up.

_She hasn't even seen the light, _he thought, remembering that the tower had been shut off completely from the rest of the world. The little girl had yet to see the beauty that daylight could offer anyone, and it was damning to realize that he just might be the one to take that away from her.

Under the ruins, in the place that was almost very certain to be their grave, he lifted himself up, pulling away so he could look down to her. They were trapped, and the shadows had rendered his vision completely useless, but her calm breathing assured him that she was safely cradled in his arms.

He pulled her to him, closing his eyes distractedly as he remembered the ridiculous code of endurance everyone had agreed upon earlier during the evening. _Light, _he thought, holding onto this as he tried to come up with something – _any_thing – that could get him and the girl out, and alive.

"_As long as there is light, no matter how far or faint," _they had said, _"we have yet to be conquered."_

Narumi opened his eyes, or at least, in the obscurity of the shadows, he felt sure he did. He glanced down to the girl, still uncertain what to do, and stopped.

In the midst of the darkness, there was light in her eyes.

**light.**

* * *

That the girl Narumi is rescuing is locked up in a tower wasn't included in the first draft; it came as an afterthought, and it was only after I finished that I realized that it's very Rapunzel-ish. I was actually thinking of Diva from Blood+ while writing this, if anyone here knows her.

**Hilaire****  
07.30.11**


	24. Shatter

_Light_ spinoff.

_Angel Arc : Part 1 of 5._

* * *

**#24:****  
Shatter**

He knows, all too well, how life easily shatters.

* * *

The little girl is dying.

The fifteen-year-old Narumi stares down at her small form, frowning at the weak beeping of the machine next to her bed. The ten-year-old girl has been in the Medical Wing since she collapsed three nights ago, on the very same night that he freed her from the tower – her prison for the last ten years she's been breathing.

Even Alice Academy, which boasts of the best doctors and alice of medicine in the world, can do nothing to ensure that she will live. She is unscathed, with only the most inconsequential scratches on her arms and legs, but she is _dying_, and there is no saving her. Not when she is frail and weak and fragile, and it's her very own alice that's killing her with each and every dragging second.

_She will die, and soon, _he thinks, surprising even himself when he feels a pang of sadness and frustration. It's absurd, of course, that he should care what happens to her. Despite what the Academy and its antagonists might view him as, he _is_ Narumi, and he is a professional: He did not let his emotions overrule his thoughts. She is nothing more than an assignment; an obligation to look after, because she is too precious to remain in the hands of the underground.

She is not the first of the innocent individuals that the Academy has asked him to protect with his alice, and it will not be his first to witness someone breathe her last right before his very eyes. She is hardly exceptional, if not for her being an alice, which is why he doesn't understand how her impending death can possibly mean a difference to him and his perspective on how things are and should be. It's a fast and hard fact he's long known and accepted, because he is Narumi, and he is from the Dangerous Ability Class: Life is fragile, and the same for each and every single person - it breaks with a slight, cruel twist of fate.

Still, this does not keep him from worrying, although he is too proud to admit so. And so instead, with a snort of disgust at his own emotions, he turns away, still clenching in his hand the tattered doll the little girl was holding when he found her.

Inwardly, with an almost worrying indifference, he muses how life easily shatters.

**shatter.**

* * *

**Hilaire****  
08.13.11**


	25. Late

_Angel Arc : _Part 2 of 5.

* * *

**#25:  
****Late**

Everything's just a little too wrong, and he's a little too late.

* * *

They meet a little too late.

He is no more than a child, the top student of Dangerous Ability Class that the underground organizations feared and hated. He's the Academy's finest, partly because of his alice and superior strength, but above all else it's because he's the most heartless of them all. He is quite perfect, or at least in the Academy's twisted little logic he is: He's thrown away his regard for human life a long time ago, and he no longer feels remorse for the lives that he takes.

And so he finds it incredibly ironic when he's asked to do something not quite like his usual task: to ensure the freedom of the underground's most precious possession, and bring her back to the Academy where she should be – _alive_.

For someone who has been trained to be the Academy's heartless _god_, this is probably the most ridiculous mission he's ever been given. No, of course he does not kill: His alice is not meant for killing. The human pheromone instead allows him to crush people's will and spirit, rendering them incapable of thinking and deciding for themselves – something that by itself is far worse than death.

He laughs at the administrators' faces, in both incredulity and mockery. _So tell me, _he says to them, slightly confused by the genuine concern that he makes out from these unfeeling administrators he's always known them to be. _What makes the underground's most precious possession so precious?_

Their response is simple: _She's an alice, like yourself, and hers is one of the most dangerous alices in existence._

Narumi scoffs, with a shake of his head. _Of course it's an alice, _he says incredulously, with a hint of disappointment in his voice. That an alice like him cannot protect herself is unimaginable, especially for him, who uses his alice most proficiently. He's grown up to the thought that alices are very much capable, exactly because they're alices. They do not need rescuing, and most certainly not the rescuing of someone who cannot even save himself.

He rises from his seat, and walks to the door of the Dangerous Ability briefing room. They are leaving before midnight, and the mission needs to be accomplished in four hours. _So what's her alice? _he asks, just as he turns the knob to leave.

_The light mirror to Death, _they say, and for a moment or two he only looks at their faceless profile on the screen, the implications of their words rendering him wordless where he stands.

"The alice of Life."

**x ~ x ~ x**

She is only four years younger than he is. The underground took her from her mother when she was barely two months old, well aware of the alice that she possessed, and has ever since kept her closely guarded.

The underground educated her, or at least taught her the things that they wanted her to know. She was taught to speak well; a master of many languages, because the organization who selfishly keeps her from the rest of the world reaches the four corners of the earth.

The underground faction calls her the life giver, the very heart of their organization. She is their strength, the one they depended heavily on when they were ill or fatally wounded - the person whose ability defines the difference between Life and Death.

_And yet, _he thinks, his eyes falling on the frail little girl whose only sight of the world was limited to the gap on the stone walls of her prison tower, _she is worse than dead._

As if feeling his gaze on her, the girl turns away from the makeshift of a window, and looks to where he is. There is a moment of silence as she stares at him, as though taking in the details of his face, a mixture of surprise and exhaustion reflected in her blue eyes. _You came,_ she whispers, managing to surprise him by sounding like she has been expecting him.

She gives him a weak smile, and slowly her eyes close, just as she collapses in his arms.

**x ~ x ~ x**

"Hurry up!" he yells at their chauffeur, like he's never screamed before. "We have to get her to the Academy!" He looks down at the girl on his lap, feeling his heart shatter with each of her ragged, shallow gasps for air.

Beside him, another student of Dangerous Ability is already firing orders on his phone, telling the Academy to get ready for their arrival. "It's going to be all right, Narumi," he says, his perfect composure doing very little to calm his classmate down.

Narumi only clenches his jaw, holding the girl's hand close to his heart.

He's terrified it might be too late.

**x ~ x ~ x**

It is five days after he rescues her when she opens her eyes again.

He wakes up to find her playing with the curls of his long hair, smiling as if inwardly pleased to find him sleeping beside her bed. He blinks, pulling away with a slight frown. _You're awake, _he says, unable to keep himself from returning a slight, small smile when he sees her brilliant blue eyes staring at him cheerfully.

_Since two hours ago, _she says. _The doctors wanted to wake you up when they came to check on me, but I told them to let you sleep. _She smiles at him, the dark curls of her long hair fluttering against the morning breeze. _You look exhausted._

He frowns, trying to conceal the sudden embarrassment that he feels. He wonders if she knows how he's been there the entire time, like an idiot, waiting for her to wake up. _How do you feel? _ he asks instead, wondering if she knows about her delicate health. The administrators have warned about him about touching the matter if she ever wakes up, and he's more than willing to oblige.

Her smile widens, evidently appreciating the question. _Never been better, _she says. _Will you show me around the Academy, then? _ she asks hopefully. _I wish to see the rose garden they were telling me about._

He narrows his eyes thoughtfully, unsure about her request. He can see that the wounds from days before have completely healed, leaving her pale skin smooth and seamless, but she is still weak, and she needs all the rest that she can have. _Shouldn't you wait until –_

_There is no waiting, _she cuts off, sharply, making him pause. She looks carefully at him, a faint expression of desperation making its way to her pretty face, and for the first time he notices the slight tremble of her shoulders. _I don't have much time left._

He freezes, and blinks, her words like a punch to his gut. _So you know, _he whispers, a sudden coldness creeping over his heart, the happiness from her waking up completely crushed in an instant. He doesn't know why; doesn't care how someone he's just met can mean so much to him. All he's aware of is the sudden hurting in his chest, far worse than any injury he's suffered, and the silent scream of guilt that keeps echoing in his ears.

"_You're too late."_

And yet, like a perfect contradiction, she smiles at him without blame, the light in her blue eyes as brilliant as it was back then, when they were under the broken pillars and he was almost giving up.

"Will you stay with me till the end, Narumi?"

**late.**

* * *

Difficult chapter to write, I tell you. Tell me what you think?

**Hilaire****  
08.30.11**


	26. Risk

This is a birthday update, since I want to post something on, well, my birthday. This has nothing to do with stories #23-25. Instead this a sort of break from the heavy drama of the previous stories. Snippet #27 will be the third part of the multi-part short story about Narumi and the nameless wielder of the alice of Life.

* * *

**#26:  
****Risk**

"Risk everything, or gain nothing."

* * *

"I love you, Narumi."

The seventeen-year-old Narumi stared at the young woman before himself, watching the mixture of embarrassment and discomfiture color her cheeks. She had both hands clasped in front of her, unable to meet his piercing gaze. "I – I apologize for being so forward," she whispered.

He looked up at her from the bench that he occupied, his violet eyes remaining passive despite the nervousness reflected in her pair of blues. Throughout the confession he had only listened to her, legs lazily crossed while one arm was thrown over the armrest of the bench.

He let several moments pass before speaking up. "What do you want me to tell you?" he asked her bluntly, and saw her flinch at his words.

She lowered her gaze further, flushing deep crimson. She knew he didn't care; he was Narumi, and he had no time for silly confessions like her own. "I – I don't expect you to tell me you love me back," she stuttered, feeling her heart shatter with each word. "I… I only wanted you to know how I felt."

He huffed, turning away with a slight frown. "All right, then," he said, and finally got to his feet, surprising her so that she glanced up and met his eyes.

"N-Narumi…?"

"I apologize," he said, his tone without the faintest trace of apology in it. "I can't return your feelings for me." He met her gaze, his eyes cold and unfeeling. "But you already knew long before today, didn't you?"

She gave him a nod, slow and uneasy. "They said to risk everything, or gain nothing," she told him, staring into the blankness of his eyes, watching them narrow upon her words.

"And you decided to risk it for me," he said, flatly.

She held his gaze. "I did," she said, her voice sounding steadier than she actually felt.

For a few moments there was only silence, Narumi regarding her with such sternness that almost made her squirm. At last, after what seemed to be an eternity, he smirked. "You are a fool."

She smiled at him sadly. "I guess I am," she admitted, feeling her eyes burn with emotions that sent a shot of pain to her chest.

Narumi cocked his head to one side, a look of almost pity gracing his features. "I'm glad," he briefly said, surprising her this time. She blinked, staring at his unchanging, hard expression, trying to figure out what he must have felt underneath that mask of indifference and aloofness.

"I don't… I don't understand," she muttered.

He gave a casual shrug. "You knew, and yet you decided to tell me still." He gave her a ghost of a smile, and she very nearly gasped, watching the slight change of expression light up his dead eyes, no matter how faintly. "I'm glad you thought I was worth the risk."

With a swift, fluid motion, Narumi reached for her, pulling her close in an embrace. "Thank you," he whispered, and pressed his lips against her forehead.

She swallowed, forcing back the sob that threatened to escape her lips, and closed her eyes as she let his warmth envelope her, regardless how fleetingly. It was over in an instant, like it never even happened, and Narumi let her go, leaving her with her broken heart.

She watched him walk away, sinking to her knees.

She knew she would never regret risking her heart for him.

**risk.**

* * *

I don't know what I was thinking, but it felt great to write. :)

Thanks for all the wonderful greetings, everyone! I find it touching that you remembered. :) Special thanks to _Innocent Sorrow_ for her lovely NatsumeHotaru fan art gift to me. You can check out my profile for it. :)

Review?

**Hilaire****  
09.11.11**


	27. Precious

I just want to clarify that those who used to have the girl is _not _ the AAO. I only said it's an underground organization, meaning they're engaged in illegal/unrecorded business transactions, but not necessarily against the Academy.

_Angel Arc : _Part 3 of 5.

* * *

**#27:  
****Precious**

"Something can only be precious if one places value on it."

* * *

Death takes his time claiming the young girl's life, and throughout it all, much to Narumi's frustration, she remains smiling. They both know she is going to die _soon_; and yet she still acts like she has an entire lifetime ahead of herself.

_What a fool, _he thinks, and wonders how long she can keep at it.

Against his will (or at least as what he wants to believe) he finds himself always by her side, upon the instructions of the administrators to keep an eye on her.

"It's beautiful," she breathes, her sapphire blue eyes taking in the details of the beautiful rose garden before them. It has been two weeks since she arrived in the Academy, and exactly three days since she has been discharged from the Medical Wing. She has been speaking about the garden ever since she woke up, and although he doesn't approve of her exhausting herself over something so silly, he figured he'll just consent to her wishes.

"Misaki maintains it," he tells her, as the two of them treaded the carpet of rose petals on the ground.

"Misaki…?" she echoes, raising her gaze to him.

He frowns. "He's… an acquaintance," he mutters, remembering how much of an annoyance his classmate is. "He's my mission partner, and we hate each other's guts."

"You must be very good friends," she laughs, unmindful of his disagreement. Without waiting for his response, she walks ahead and over to the tall bushes of young buds. "They have yet to blossom," she whispers, her eyes filling with awe.

He huffs, following close behind her. Apparently she doesn't understand that they are _not _ friends, and he is only indulging her because he has been ordered to do so. "They've just been planted."

She smiles fondly at the plants. "Beautiful, aren't they, Narumi? Just to be in this world – to be _alive_," she says, letting her fingers trail the array of buds as she continues to walk. "I've never seen life as pure and raw as theirs."

Narumi furrows his eyebrows, walking after her with a frown. "But your alice…" he mutters, only to trail off when he remembers that he doesn't like her alice, much less discussing it with her.

"The alice of life?" she asks him, her casual tone prompting his frown to deepen. Her face is calm, a slight smile gracing her lips. "I have the ability to heal, Narumi. In order for my alice to work, the ones I use it on should be injured, at the very least; and at the very worst, on the verge of death."

He huffs, turning his gaze away from her. He knows all about the alice of life, this gift which rarely shows itself except after many generations. In the Academy it is almost a myth – a most prized alice for its ability to restore life, and sometimes, at its most potent, to snatch back what death has cruelly seized.

She seems to notice his silence, and gives a quiet laugh. "It's all right. The alice of life is just like any alice."

"One of the most precious in existence," he says, remembering what the administrator told him before he met her.

She raises an eyebrow in amusement. "Only because we value life," she says. "Something can only be precious if one places value on it." She stares up at his unimpressed expression.

"Don't talk about life with someone who's thrown away his regard for it a long time ago," he mutters, and watches her narrow her eyes at him thoughtfully.

"Have you?"

"Yes," he snaps, and walks on ahead in irritation, leaving her where she stands. It isn't as if she'll understand. She might wield the alice of life, but she is still just a child, and –

"I don't believe you," she calls out to him, resuming her lazy steps once again.

Narumi looks over his shoulder to her smaller form, frowning as he stops. "And why is that?"

She walks up to him with a gleeful smile on her lips. "I saw it," she says. "When were under the broken pillars – I saw it in your eyes. You wanted to live."

"I just didn't want to die in the hands of that bastard," he retorts.

"Then am I wrong to think that you wanted me to live?" she asks, innocently watching him clench his jaw in irritation when he can't answer.

He narrows his eyes at her. "No." He turns away with a huff. "I wanted you to live."

"And you wanted to live, because your death would have spelt my own," she says, a certain spark of triumph in her gaze. She holds out her hand as they continue to walk, touching the bushes where the small buds were. "It isn't so bad, you know, putting life in high regard."

He smirks. "Is that why you keep using your alice – why you heal even those who have been keeping you from the world?"

She outstretched hand freezes for a moment. "Yes," she answers, her grip clenching on a blossoming rose. "I believe all life is precious."

He puts his hands in his pockets, his cynicism getting the better of him. "How long have you known about your alice?"

She throws him a glance. "A very long time," she says. "I've known about it ever since I can remember."

"And how long have you known that it's going to kill you?" he asks, bluntly.

She raises her eyes to him, seeming to appreciate his candor. "I've always known, somehow. One of the first things I've been taught is that every gift comes with a price, sometimes higher than others."

He narrows his eyes thoughtfully, watching her walk on ahead; her dark, curly hair fluttering against the wind, her steps seeming as certain as she can ever be.

For the many years he's been completing missions for the school, he has learned to accept that death is a part of life. Indeed, life is incomplete without death, like a beginning without end. But now he finds himself looking at her – this young girl whose eyes are so full of life, and who has yet to see what the world has to offer – and he wonders why her very own alice cannot protect her from death.

It just isn't fair.

At last she twirls on her heel, her dress billowing in the wind, and she faces him with a smile. "Do you fear death, Narumi?" she asks, pointedly. It is almost eerie, how she looks very indifferent toward the topic, but Narumi reminds himself that with her alice and what she's been through, she must have seen more deaths that he has ever had.

There is a moment of silence as he looks into her eyes, trying to make out if there is any sadness behind the light in them – that same light which had given him the strength to keep going. "No," he replies, without reluctance, and knows for certain that he's just spoken the truth: He doesn't fear death.

For a very long time, the prospect of death's embrace has been the only thing to keep him going – the only thing that, ironically enough, has kept him breathing and _alive_.

"I'm glad," she smiles, hands clasped together behind her. "Because fearing death is just as bad as fearing life itself, don't you think so?"

She bends down to pick up a stem of withering rose on the ground, and holds it up to him. "Life and death – " she starts, and he watches as the rose regains its color, slowly blooming back to life under her touch " – the two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other."

"And so you don't fear death either," he says, feeling an odd sense of frustration as her smile only widens, like there's a secret that is only known to her; and once again he gets the feeling that there is wrong.

Perhaps it's her smile, because it's a little too happy and a little too bright, considering she is going to die.

"I've seen too many," she agrees, still holding the rose in her hands as she resumes her stride. "I can't be scared of it anymore."

"Is that why you smile?" he asks her, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly. He feels her glance in his direction as if in query, but he keeps his stare ahead, into the morning sunlight, a beautiful mockery to her impending death. "Because you're not scared of death?"

She looks at him, her blue eyes widening in surprise, although the smile lingers on her lips, practiced and perfected over the years. "Yes."

Narumi inhales sharply, feeling the mixture of anger and frustration building up in his chest. He grabs her wrist so that she drops the rose, his expression hardening as he halts his tracks, prompting her to stop as well. "You talk so easily about death – and I'm sure you don't fear it," he says, staring into her cheerful blue eyes, inwardly cursing her for her unfaltering façade of happiness and contentment. "But haven't you ever asked why your alice couldn't save _you_?"

There is a pause as she blinks up at his furious expression, stunned by his words and temper. When she answers, there's a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "I-It – it doesn't work that way, Narumi," she murmurs, a forced half-smile on her lips. "The alice of life acquires its power from me, and – "

"I _know _ that," he snaps, his fingers digging into her wrist, undoubtedly going to leave red marks as soon as he lets her go. "So why do you smile like there's nothing wrong about it? You give me bullshit about all life being precious, and yet you think so lightly of your own death!"

She visibly cringes, a look of confusion taking over her features, like the truth that she's established for a very long time is quickly shattering before her eyes. "Isn't your life just as precious as anyone else's?" he asks her, feeling truly angry this time, marveling how all alices can be such terrible, terrible liars to themselves. "You think you're fooling me by smiling and pretending that you're _happy_?"

"I-I'm not – " She blinks twice in succession, like she's been completely derailed. "Narumi – "

"Aren't you _sad_?" he asks, blandly. He watches her gaze drop, like she can't meet his stare, and scoffs. "So why don't you _cry_?"

He hauls her closer to him. "Tell me, in all honesty," he murmurs earnestly, leaning over so that his face is very close to hers. "Do you want to die?"

For a moment or two she seems to blank out, like it's the first time someone has ever asked her a question like his own, and yet it's one that she's secretly thought about for the longest time. But at last, after what seems to be a small eternity, a look of defeat dawns on her face, and she gives him a weak, desperate smile.

"No, Narumi," she whispers, her voice sounding like she's about to break. "I don't want to die."

Narumi exhales sharply, and closes his eyes. Letting her wrist go, he pulls her against him roughly and buries her head in his chest. "Goddamn it, just _cry_, will you?" he snarls. He embraces her trembling form as she wraps her arms around him, the sudden torrent of emotions making her tears fall ceaselessly; and Narumi grits his teeth.

How can the Academy and the Underground consider him the finest, when he can't even save the life of one so precious?

**precious.**

* * *

**Hilaire  
****10.22.11**


	28. Believe

Inspired by _Hayden Panettiere_'s_ I Still Believe_ and _Demi Lovato_'s _Unbroken_.

_Angel Arc : _Part 4 of 5.

* * *

**#28:  
****Believe.**

"Believe like your faith has never been broken."

* * *

_Six months later._

The girl made a little pirouette, her elegant dress twirling around her as she did. "You like it?"

Narumi only frowned, pulling on his necktie to ease his breathing. The damn thing was strangling him without effort, and at the moment he wanted nothing else but to get out of the uncomfortable tux he was wearing. "Yeah, sure. You look gorgeous," he muttered halfheartedly. He still couldn't believe that he was actually going to the Last Dance this year, and with this annoying little brat at that.

"At least look like you mean it," she giggled, her smile at its brightest under the orange lights of the festival. She ran a hand over her long, curly hair, its dark color matching her dress; making her seem even paler. "I wanted to look good for you."

He huffed, leaning back against the chair he was seated on. "I mean it," he said begrudgingly. She _did _look very pretty, but did she really have to make him say it?

_What a pain._

She only smiled, unmindful of his annoyed expression. "Thank you," she said, looking sincerely pleased.

For a moment or two there was only silence between them, and Narumi frowned. Why the hell was she still with him instead of enjoying herself with the rest of the students? It had been six months since she arrived in the Academy, and he wasn't oblivious to the fact that she had many friends whom she could spend this night with. "What are you still doing here?"

Her smile only seemed to widen, the flash of mischief very distinct in her eyes. "I'd like to dance with you, Narumi."

He felt his eyes narrow upon the words. "I already agreed to come with you to this stupid party," he snapped, knowing that he'd probably be punished for this later. It wasn't as if dangerous ability students were actually allowed to participate in this blasted event.

"You agreed to go with me to the _Last Dance_," she pointed out innocently.

"Yes, but _not _to dance with you," he muttered. Why couldn't she understand that he wanted nothing to do with the party? Not only that, but it was obvious that the party didn't want anything to do with him either, as proved by the fact that the closest tables to the one he occupied remained empty ever since he had taken a seat. "Look, there are plenty of others whom you can ask to dance with you, and – "

"I want my Last Dance to be _you_," she interrupted, her voice sounding so earnest it made him pause. She stared at him intently, her playful expression suddenly softening as she held out her hand to him. "Will you be my Last Dance, Narumi?"

He met her eyes, clenching his jaw when his gaze fell on her outstretched hand. He stared at it for a long time, wondering at the odd feeling that tugged at his chest as he did. "Fine," he growled, after a long silence, watching her face light up as he stood up and captured her hand in his.

"I'll be your Last Dance."

۞۞۞

The two of them found their place not too far from the very heart of the bonfire, amidst the other dancing couples. Narumi frowned, all too conscious of everyone's prying glances in their direction. He'd never really been fond of them, and it was obvious that they didn't like him either.

"I didn't know you were this shy, Narumi," she teased, interrupting his almost murderous thoughts. With a huff, he turned away from the other students, and glared instead at her grinning face.

"I just don't like them, all right?" he said irritably, only to freeze when she wrapped her arms around his neck. "What the hell – ?"

She stuck out her tongue at him. "We're supposed to be dancing."

Narumi exhaled loudly, noticing that they _did _ look awkward simply standing there. Unwillingly he wrapped his arms around her waist, muttering an oath under his breath. "The things you subject me to..."

She giggled. "I apologize," she said, not looking the least bit apologetic. At all. She even looked like she was enjoying his discomfiture immensely. "I only want you to have fun."

"You think I'm having _fun_?" he snapped, to which she gleefully shook her head.

"_I'm_ having fun," she said instead, and laughed when he scowled. "Lighten up, Narumi. I didn't ask the administrators to allow the dangerous ability students here tonight just to have you spoil everything by frowning."

Narumi stopped, unsure if he heard right. "You _what_?"

She blinked up at him innocently. "I found out that dangerous ability students aren't allowed to join tonight," she said. "But I really wanted to go with you, so I asked if you could go as my Last Dance, together with everyone else from your class."

He simply stared at her, an incredulous expression on his face as the understanding dawned on him. "You mean the reason you spoke with the administrators a week ago was for _this_?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh."

For a moment or two he could only gape at her. "You're an idiot," he snapped, once he found his voice.

She only smiled. "A disputable claim. I got what I want."

Narumi gritted his teeth in frustration. Dammit, but she was too cunning for her own good. "As always." He'd grown used to her and her whims during the last six months that he'd spent looking after her, whether he admitted it or not.

She turned away, and when he followed her gaze he realized that she was looking at several of his classmates from dangerous ability. He paused, unsure what to make of their small, genuine smiles as the other students gestured for them to dance as well. "Yes, I _really_ got what I want this time," she sighed contentedly.

Narumi stared at his classmates, noting that while they still had a certain aloofness to them, they seemed more… peaceful. Inwardly he wondered if he'd ever seen them smile so candidly before, and frowned when it barely took a moment for him to realize that the answer was no. He'd never seen something like this before. Smiling was hardly the thing of dangerous ability students like himself.

"I don't know why you're not allowed to be here," she said, making him turn to her, "but I thought it would be too bad if you missed a celebration like this." She looked over to the Northern Forest to her far left, and Narumi smirked, noting how bright it was like the main grounds. The time and effort it took to light it up was obvious enough. "Alice Academy is so beautiful."

She smiled up at him, not giving him a chance to dispute her remark. "You never told me how long you've been here."

He shrugged, as nonchalantly as he could. His life story was not something he wanted to talk about. "A very long time. I practically grew up here."

She tilted her head to one side. "How enviable," she said, smiling at the surprised expression on his face. "I wish the Academy had found me much sooner."

He stopped, feeling like a lump was suddenly caught in his throat when he realized what she meant. "You…"

She nodded, her smile never wavering. "I was six years old when I became aware of my ability," she said. "At the time, I didn't know that it was called 'alice', or that there was even a term for it. They never told me about it until much later, after the Academy's first attempt to take me back."

"It was like magic; to be able to heal the injured, and sometimes to bring the death back to life." She looked up at him. "It took me a while to realize that not everyone has the ability that I do, and to understand that death is supposed to be irreversible: I wasn't supposed to tamper with what the universe has decided as its course."

"The very first thing that the underground taught me was how every gift came with strings," she said. "It didn't take long when I realized that my own life was the price that they were talking about. For every injury that I heal, and for every life that I restore – I cut my own lifespan just a little bit shorter."

"It's as if nature granted me the ability to go against it, and then punished me for using it."

She heaved a quite sigh. "Six months ago, I told you that all life is precious. And it is. I've seen how people desperately cling to life at the face of death, and somehow I understood how important it was to keep breathing and living – to keep fighting until your very last breath."

She peered up at him, her thoughtful blue eyes against his stunned violets. "Still, knowing that didn't make things any easier. My body is weak enough without the toll of using my alice, and the two combined always leave me in a critical condition."

"Most of the people from the underground aren't alices, but they were aware of my ability, and what happens when I overuse it." She paused. "At the time, their operations were at their peak, and they needed my help more than ever. They insisted that I keep at what I was doing, regardless of the dangers to my health." She held his gaze grimly. "It was so scary to be saving another from death when I knew that my own was just as near."

He stared hard at her. "And yet you chose to do it."

"For the exact same reason that I didn't want to die," she told him, surprising him with a faint smile. "Because I realized that being alive is so much more than being able to breathe." He felt her grip tighten around him. "I wanted to live a little bit longer, to know what it truly means to be alive."

She glanced away to the bonfire, the flames reflected in her eyes. "It feels like a very long time, but I'm finally here. And I realize: I'm still thankful for the alice that I've been given."

He narrowed his eyes, the frustration evident in them. "Why?" he asked, not understanding at all.

"Because I met you, Narumi," she told him simply, making him stop. "I've never had so much in my life before, much less someone like you. I'd like to thank you for saving me, and for showing me what it means to be truly alive – to be living for myself and not for anyone else."

For a second or two he only stared at her, feeling a sharp twinge in his chest as the full implications of her words hit him. No one had ever told him that before, and although he had long refused to acknowledge the want to be needed, what she said still left him stunned and breathless where he stood.

He swallowed, attempting to find his voice. "It's nothing," he muttered, not knowing how to say anything else.

She smiled up at him in understanding. "Tell me, Narumi: Do you believe in destiny?"

He blinked at the unexpected question, and pulled back. "What?"

"People need to believe in something, you know. Maybe something, maybe someone greater than them – to keep them going," she told him. "Do you remember when we first met?"

Narumi furrowed his eyebrows, recalling that fateful night many months ago, when he finally reached the tower where she was locked in. "You – you looked like you were expecting me."

"And I was," she affirmed. "I believed that someone would come for me, to set me free." She giggled lightly. "Although, you were a little late. I was expecting you to arrive many months earlier."

Narumi gaped at her, unsure if he should apologize. "Uh – "

She shook her head dismissively. "It doesn't matter. I never doubted you'd come." She pressed her face against his chest. "To believe with all your heart – to believe like your faith has never been broken: That's how it is to believe, Narumi."

He lowered his gaze to her, watching the peaceful rise and fall of her chest in contentment. "But how exactly do you fix a broken faith? One that's probably beyond repair?" he asked her cryptically.

She stared up at him with a smile. "Sometimes the world conspires and lets you meet someone to fix it for you."

An unwilling half-smile made its way to Narumi's lips. "And you think you can."

"I know I will, if you let me," she told him earnestly.

He raised an eyebrow at her, although his smile didn't disappear. "You're not as fragile as they claim you are."

Her lips twisted into an easy grin. "I know. It's a little scary that I don't think about death anymore," she told him, and giggled at the surprise in his eyes. "Don't worry, Narumi. I might not live for as long as you will, but I'll put off dying for now, for your sake."

He shook his head, and held her tighter; a silent refusal to let her go. "You're an idiot," he murmured against her hair.

She laughed; a cheerful, contented laugh that made it almost hard to believe the hardships she'd been through. "And you're the most important to me, Narumi," she told him without a pause. She kept her gaze on him even as he pulled her slightly away from him. "Can you believe that, at the very least?" she asked him, her voice so calm and heartfelt that it was hard to disbelieve.

He inhaled, completely aware of the silent scream of hope in his heart – a feeling that he'd denied for far too long. "I do," he admitted, surprising himself by the emotions in his voice. He stared into her eyes, a willful expression overtaking his features. "I believe you."

A warm smile fell on her lips upon his words. "And I believe you, too, Narumi."

**believe_._**

* * *

The next update will be the last part of this mini-story, and we'll see how it all comes together in the end. Tell me your thoughts about the chapter? :)

**Hilaire****  
12.06.11**


	29. Angel

I didn't expect tears for the previous chapter! I feel so proud of myself for that. :) This is the last part. It takes place five years after the anime.

_Angel Arc : _Part 5 of 5.

* * *

**#29:  
****Angel**

"I thought you hated the Academy," Natsume snapped, glaring at his teacher furiously.  
"Then why the hell are you still here, Narumi?"

* * *

_Seventeen years later, present time._

Natsume Hyuuga refused to look at the man in front of him.

"Are you feeling all right now?" Narumi asked, with a hint of worry in his voice. "Persona will probably not bother you for a few days after tonight, but it will be best if you listen to me and stop trying to run away from the Academy."

The young flame caster had once again devised an elaborate scheme to get away from Alice Academy, only to be caught by the moderator of Dangerous Ability Class. It had been truly humiliating, and the fact that it was Narumi who rescued him from the painful punishment that his insolence required only made things worse.

Natsume simply didn't want to owe anything to Narumi. Not him, of all damn people.

The teacher placed a cup of hot chocolate before his student. "Here," he said, before taking his seat on the opposite couch. "I've been telling you this for so many years now, haven't I? Attempting to leave is futile."

The fifteen-year-old Black Cat gave a furious growl. "I'd rather die trying than be like you," he hissed, clenching his uninjured fist as he looked sharply at his homeroom teacher.

Narumi raised an eyebrow, looking more amused than anything else. "I don't believe I understand. Would you care to explain what you mean, Natsume?"

Natsume huffed, glancing out the tall windows of Narumi's living room. Outside, illuminated by the moon that was quickly disappearing, was the outline of the Northern Forest, dark and indistinct. "Stop bullshitting me, Narumi. I've long figured out you're smarter than you let on. You know what _exactly_ I'm talking about."

The corners of Narumi's lips curled up in what resembled a smile. "Thank you, Natsume; I believe that's quite a compliment coming from you. Although," he said, with a slight nod of his head, "I really don't know what you mean."

Natsume turned to him with a glare. "You think I don't know how much you hate the Academy?"

For a brief moment Narumi seemed startled by the question, but in a heartbeat the expression was replaced by a casual smile. "Oh. _That_."

The younger man continued, his fury building up as seconds dragged by. "You never wanted to be here, did you? Which was why when you weren't doing missions for the school you were trying to escape - much like what I'm doing now." Natsume scoffed. "You were even better than I am – I heard you had managed to escape to the capital before they found you and took you back."

Narumi casually threw one leg over the other, crossing his arms over his chest. "I see you've been hearing the stories."

"These aren't _stories_," Natsume snapped, meeting his gaze evenly. "These are _facts_. You know the Academy all too well – how rotten it is and how it treats it students like us."

"What I don't understand is why you're still here." Natsume narrowed his eyes so that they showed both his confusion and frustration. "For some reason, you stopped trying to escape when you were fifteen. You followed the Academy's orders as they were; you went to missions without questions. You even refused to work with those who wanted to leave."

The young man gritted his teeth, containing his anger the best he could. "You – the Academy's top student then; the one who could have made a difference, the one who could have done _something_ – you could have left and you could have taken everyone else with you." He paused to take a breath, and spoke through clenched teeth. "_Why the hell are you still here, Narumi?_"

Narumi looked over to the student with concern. "Natsume – "

Natsume darted him a glare, making him stop. "Answer me, dammit!" the younger man growled. "Drop the stupid act and don't tell me you ran out of ideas to escape – you who never runs out of ridiculous ideas to raise hell every chance you got."

He inhaled, his anger, frustration and grief all coming together in a mad mixture of emotions. "No matter what they think – _I_ know _you_ made the choice not to leave. Tell me why you're still here. Why you – you who hated the Academy more than anything else in the world – tell me why the hell you stayed behind!"

Narumi watched the rise and fall of Natsume's chest in breathlessness, and was silent, as if letting his student gather himself. At last, after what seemed like a small eternity, he smiled, ever so slightly. "I'll show you something, Natsume."

۞۞۞

Natsume was still glaring at his teacher as the two of them walked down the freeway that led to the main grounds, wondering what sort of devil must have prompted him to follow Narumi to wherever they were going. The teacher had looked pretty serious about showing him something, but still: What could that something have to do with Natsume's question in the first place?

Far ahead, the tall archway of tea roses in full bloom stood grand and imposing under the faint first light of the day. Natsume frowned, just then realizing that they were heading to the rose garden of the Alice Academy, the one maintained by plant alices like Misaki-sensei himself. He shot Narumi a confused look, unsure why they should be there. "You wanted to show me the rose garden?" he asked.

Narumi gave a quiet chuckle. "Of course not," he said, gesturing for his student to follow him.

"Then what are we doing here?" Natsume demanded, begrudgingly walking after his teacher. He'd never been fond of putting up with Narumi's bullshit, and he had no intention of starting now.

"Well, you asked me why I stayed in Alice Academy," Narumi said as he walked ahead, his strides sure and steady.

It was several minutes later that Narumi halted his tracks, prompting his student to do the same. They were standing at the very heart of the garden, surrounded by hedges of rose varieties. Around them, the vibrant splash of colorful roses seemed to light up the place, and the younger man frowned, wondering how anything in Alice Academy could look so beautiful.

"Beautiful sunrise, isn't it?" Narumi asked, staring far over into the horizon.

Natsume followed his gaze, and agreed, despite himself. It was a beautiful sunrise, its calm colors engulfing the sky and painting the earth below, a striking transition from evening to dawn. Under the warm colors, the roses seemed more alive, somehow more vivid.

The two of them were quiet for a long time, enjoying the scenery, until at last Narumi broke the silence. "I wanted to show you the sunrise, Natsume."

Natsume blinked, feeling like a rug had been suddenly pulled from under his feet. He turned to his teacher harshly, his eyebrows furrowed in incomprehension. "_WHAT_?" he snapped, his tone dangerous.

"What you told me earlier was true," Narumi easily admitted, rendering the younger man silent. "I hated Alice Academy, and even my own alice." He chuckled. "It was quite ironic, considering the Academy has been my home ever since I could remember."

"Like you, I couldn't understand why I needed to be here. I didn't really understand what Alice Academy was for, or why I needed to answer to it. I never asked to be in this school; they were the ones who insisted that I study here."

He glanced at Natsume. "I was a dangerous ability as well as a somatic type," he said, "so I was attending two classes. I went on missions, too, and like you, I spent my free time trying to escape."

Natsume was quiet as he watched his teacher openly laugh at what must have been a surprised look on his face. The young man huffed irritably. Hearing about it from other people and hearing it from Narumi itself felt oddly different; he couldn't deny that.

"When I was fifteen, during one of my missions, I rescued a little girl from a tower. She was being held captured by an underground organization," Narumi proceeded. "She was only four years younger than I was, but she was dying." He paused. "Do you know why?"

Natsume narrowed his eyes, a bit taken aback by the question. If an underground organization was keeping a girl and had to be rescued by dangerous ability students, then she must be important. _But why was she dying? _he asked himself, only to freeze when a thought occurred to him. It couldn't be – "She was an alice…?"

Narumi nodded. "She possessed the alice of life – an alice that killed her every time that she used it. The underground used her and her ability for themselves, and the Academy wanted her immediate rescue when they found out. I was the assigned student for that mission."

"I got her back, but she was really weak, and she collapsed as soon as I got to where she was. I didn't think she would even survive a week, even with the Academy's medical expertise." He shrugged. "But she did. I was so sure she would die, but she woke up, and ordered me to show her this garden."

An amused smirk seemed to play on Narumi's lips as he continued. "She was a curious little girl. She refused to cry even when she knew that her death was fast approaching." He looked at his student. "She later told me that it was a little worse than death, to be living and breathing for other people – granting life to the ones who didn't give a damn about her; and still be dead to the rest of the world."

"And then she told me how thankful she was to me and to Alice Academy." He smiled faintly. "It was all thanks to Alice Academy and the missions that Dangerous Ability students take that she was finally set free. And she couldn't forget that, even when she knew that I myself hated the school more than anything else in world."

"She told me that no faith was broken beyond repair – including my faith in the Academy. That sometimes the world conspires to make you meet someone who will fix it for you." His smile seemed to widen at the memory. "She was probably the first person to tell me that I was the most important person to her – and somehow, I believed that. I still do."

"She didn't live long," Narumi said, and Natsume flinched at the genuine sadness that crossed his teacher's eyes, despite the smile on his lips, "but she made every second of her life count. I don't know how she did it, but somehow – just somehow, she managed to put it back together, myself and the faith that I once lost."

Natsume watched as Narumi's expression seemed to harden. "And she told me that I had to believe, not only in the Academy but also in myself, because only those who can believe in themselves can believe in others."

"She asked me to look at a much bigger picture, to understand what the Alice Academy is doing, and the reasons behind them. That I should understand how the missions are not for the Academy's self-gratification, but for people who desperately need our help."

Narumi gave a sad smile. "She also told me that she'd never seen a beautiful daybreak as one you see from here, surrounded by so many roses," he said, "and that she wished she could live a long time, just to see this."

He started forward, and Natsume followed him wordlessly, his heart and mind spinning with both thoughts and emotions. He halted just as Narumi stopped, and looked down to where his teacher was staring, drawing a breath in surprise.

There, at the very heart of the garden, in the midst of the fallen roses that strangely seemed to be the most alive and in full bloom, was a tombstone. Inscribed on it was a name of a young lady who had passed away when she was thirteen, and the words:

"_Believe like your faith has never been broken."_

Natsume looked up at his teacher, feeling strangely shaken by the words that belonged to someone whose faith had been broken many times over before. He swallowed, wondering how someone younger than he had been able to hold on to her faith so stubbornly and persistently.

From where he stood, Narumi looked back to his student, not missing the mixture of confusion and wonder in Natsume's eyes as he took it all in. Narumi smiled, knowing that stance all too well. He'd been through the same thing, when he was the same age, and he was thankful that he'd met someone who helped him figure things out, when all he wanted to do was give up.

He turned his gaze to the brilliant morning sunlight. "She had a question for me, too, Natsume," he said, and closed his eyes as he remembered many years ago, when even as she struggled for breath, the girl had insisted on seeing and speaking with him.

"_I imagine it will be difficult," she whispered, her breath coming in ragged gasps, the machine next to her beeping furiously, "but for all it's done for me and for those who cannot protect themselves – " she looked up at him, her eyes with pleading as she held his hands tightly " – will you please forgive the Academy, Narumi?"_

Narumi opened his eyes, feeling a slight twinge in his chest as he remembered how her eyes had lighted up upon his answer. "You ask why I'm still here," he said, turning to the student with him. He watched as Natsume stared back at him, the quiet understanding finally crossing his exhausted crimson eyes and lingering there.

Narumi smiled. "When I was your age, I met an angel in Alice Academy."

**angel.**

* * *

I'd planned this little connection between the past and the present planned waaayyy prior to writing the story. I thought it'd be interesting to see how someone whom Narumi met in a mission would be one of the reasons why he stayed in the Academy. :) Most of this chapter is actually a ripoff from another one-shot which I never got around to posting. Oh well. I'm just glad I managed to put it to good use. :)

This is the last part of this arc. Tell me what you think, for old time's sake? :)

**Hilaire****  
12.10.11**


	30. Blessing

This happens seven years before the beginning of the_ Angel Arc_. Alternatively, you can read it as a standalone.

* * *

**#30:****  
Blessing**

In which an eight-year-old Narumi's attempt to escape Alice Academy is unsuccessful –  
and of course Misaki lectures him about it.

* * *

"You tried to _escape_?"

The eight-year-old Narumi didn't even lift his gaze from the cherry blossom tree outside the classroom. Instead he propped up his chin on his knuckles, wishing _something _ would happen so he wouldn't die of boredom.

Misaki walked over to his desk, looking more pissed off than usual. "Are you _stupid_?" he snapped, meeting his partner's bored gaze. "Did you really think you could escape? And even if you did – where do you think you could run away to?"

Narumi only yawned. "I'm back, all right? Stop lecturing me."

The dark-haired alice glared at him. "Oh, I _won't_. Not just yet. I'm going to lecture you for as long as they lectured _me_. Do you have any idea how much hell they gave me when they found out my partner was missing? Do you – "

"I managed to escape to the capital," Narumi interrupted, and he probably sounded so jaded and uninterested it made Misaki pause.

"You did?"

"Uh-huh."

Misaki huffed. "…and?"

"It was interesting," he said blandly.

"You don't sound interested at all."

"I said it was interesting; not that I was interested," he pointed out. "I think I've been spending so much time in this academy that it's altered my tastes for the _worse_."

Misaki frowned. "I don't really get what you're trying to say."

A pause, and then: "I didn't like it outside."

"Oh." The younger man appeared thoughtful. "That's a surprise."

"It is," Narumi agreed. "Reality is such an ugly thing sometimes."

Misaki crossed his arms over his chest. "Well I think that's a good thing. At least you're finally realizing how lucky you are to be in the Academy."

Narumi cocked an eyebrow, glancing at his partner in wonder. "Lucky?"

The young plant manipulator shook his head, plopping down on the desk in front of Narumi's. "Weren't you found in an orphanage?"

"Uh-huh."

"If you think the Academy is bad, then just imagine how worse off you would have been if the Academy hadn't found you and brought you here," Misaki explicated with conviction. "You're lucky they found you."

Before Narumi could respond, Misaki was already getting to his feet, picking up the book Narumi hadn't realized he had been carrying. "Where are you going?"

"I need to finish an experiment, for Technical Class," Misaki said, giving him a stern look. "Look: I know you think badly of the Academy, and maybe everyone here; I'm not sure. But I think it's a good thing you prefer here to outside. It seems you're realizing how lucky you are to be in the Academy."

"Lucky, huh," Narumi scoffed, just his partner hollered to his classmates outside the room.

Misaki shook his head. "Just think about it, Narumi. You might realize how lucky you are to be here, in Alice Academy." He started for the door. "I have to go; you think maybe you can stop yourself from escaping?"

"I'll try," he replied dryly, turning back to the cherry blossom tree he had been staring at. He propped up his chin on his knuckles once more, his vacant expression well concealing what he felt.

"It's not luck, Misaki," Narumi murmured to himself, as soon as he was alone. He hated to admit it, but he knew that what he'd seen outside had made him understand all too well what Misaki was saying about the Academy.

_It's a blessing._

**blessing.**

* * *

Would you believe that I wrote this _October last year_? I just never got around to posting it up, because I found it to be somewhat… melodramatic. Most of the stuff I wrote when I started this collection were light and funny, and I didn't think this would go well with the others. :)

Exams are driving me mad, so review and make me smile? :)

**Hilaire****  
12.12.11**


	31. Consider

For _BrokenFacades_, to inspire.

* * *

**#31:  
****Consider**

In which Narumi gives Class B an essay-type exam, which predictably screws them over.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

Ruka smiled uncertainly at the irritated scowl of his best friend. It was the last day of finals week, and the entire class B, including the two of them, were seated behind their desks, waiting for their class adviser to arrive. Narumi's English exam was last in their schedule. "Well Narumi-sensei _did _ threaten to harass you every waking moment next semester if you don't show up today."

"Not helping, Ruka," Natsume snapped, shooting his best friend a glare. It was at this moment that the door to their classroom opened, revealing a cheerful Narumi. Oddly enough, the blond teacher was clad in normal clothes this time, which meant to say that he was going to screw them over again.

Narumi was a sadist; Natsume knew this all too well. Whenever the man actually showed up looking the slightest bit sane, he'd do something idiotic and more often than not _inappropriate, _ making Natsume doubt his sanity again. And the Academy's, for that matter, because _seriously_ – did they even check who they hired to be educators in this school?

"Why hello everyone!" Narumi greeted, with an elaborate sweep of his hand. His other hand was holding a stack of brown envelopes – probably containing the test questionnaires for his subject. "How are you all doing today?"

The class groaned in response, having just finished Misaki-sensei's tortuous two-hour exam.

Natsume nearly rolled his eyes, unable to relate at everyone else's predicament. "_Idiots_," he hissed under his breath. "Drop the pleasantries and let's just get it over with, _Narumi_."

Narumi's smile only seemed to widen upon seeing him. "Why hello, Natsume. I'm so glad you could join us today."

"Speak for yourself," Natsume huffed.

The teacher gave a shrug. "You're absolutely no fun sometimes, Natsume," he said, flashing a patronizing grin to the crimson-eyed young man. Without waiting for his student's retort, Narumi started distributing the envelopes to each of the students in class. "Please don't open it till I instruct you to do so."

Natsume furrowed his eyebrows as he received his envelope, wondering why it felt like there was barely anything in there. "This isn't a joke, right?" he muttered, wondering why it had to be sealed.

"I don't joke about exams, Natsume," the blond quipped, just as he handed out the last of the envelopes he was holding. "Or at least I like to think I don't."

Narumi walked back to the desk in front and started to explicate the rest of the exam proper. "Inside the envelope I've handed out is the test questionnaire, including five sheets of bond paper for your answer." He wrote '3:00' on the blackboard. "You'll be given three hours to finish the exam. Please answer the question concisely." He smiled as he turned back to the class. "Cheating is allowed, as long as you don't get caught."

The class gave another pitiful groan, knowing that there was no cheating when it came to Narumi's exams.

"Questions?" Narumi asked. When no one answered, he nodded. "All right, then. You may begin."

Upon the words, the entire class simultaneously ripped the envelope open. Silence befell the room for a moment or so, until at last gasps of confusion and incredulity were heard from the students.

"Narumi-sensei, what is this?" Mikan exclaimed, her brown eyes wide with confusion. She glanced up from the test questionnaire to her teacher, and then down to the questionnaire again. "This is it?"

Narumi only smiled at the horrified expression on the faces of his students. "That's it," he affirmed, taking his seat behind the teacher's desk. He placed his elbows on the desk, then interlocked his fingers so that his chin was resting on them, and looked at the class with amusement. "Three hours."

"This isn't even a question!" Sumire yelled from behind the room. A murmur of agreement followed, although it did nothing to wipe the smile off of Narumi's lips. "Narumi-sensei!"

"Five-point deductions for those who won't stop complaining," Narumi said, his smiling face only making the warning all the more unnerving. Unwillingly, the rest of Class B hushed, although the mixture of confusion and frustration lingered in their faces.

For his part, Natsume stared at the paper in his hands, quite unsure what to make of it. The questionnaire was mostly blank, except for the one statement printed smack down in the middle of it. It simply read:

_Consider the word 'Alice'._

The young man heaved an incredulous sigh at his teacher's another stupid ruse. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered. Sumire was right: This wasn't even a question. Not that it was unusual, because contrary to what some students might expect, Narumi actually gave the most difficult, most _mind-fucking_ exams there ever were. It was so Narumi to screw everyone over just when they thought they were already done with the difficult subjects, like Misaki's science or Jinno's maths.

Natsume narrowed his eyes, thinking the statement over despite his classmates unintelligible grumbling and quiet objections. _Consider the word 'Alice'._

At last, after a couple of minutes or so, the young man lifted his pen, and scribbled on the first blank sheet within his reach. It took only a moment, and he was done. He glanced up, noting how most of his classmates were still at a loss what to write, while others had already started their furious scrawl on their paper. The fire alice wielder shook his head, and rose from his seat, effectively making everyone else look up.

"Done?" Narumi asked with a smile, like he had been expecting it from the very beginning.

"This is the stupidest exam I've ever taken," Natsume muttered, handing in his paper unsmilingly.

"But you enjoyed it," Narumi pointed out, which only made the young man scoff.

"Yeah, right," Natsume said. Without waiting for his teacher's response, he started for the door, knowing that he still had an important mission to go to. "I'm off."

Everyone was still moaning and whining as the Black Cat closed the door behind him, and he cracked a smirk, despite himself.

Damn it, but yes, he enjoyed Narumi's exams more than he was willing to admit.

۞۞۞

"How could Natsume have written his essay so fast?" Mikan exclaimed.

"Well, duh, no-star; he's not the only Top Star in the Elementary Branch for nothing," Sumire hissed, although she looked quite disheartened herself. The green-eyed alice looked down at her paper, frowning at her attempt to explain the etymology of the word 'alice'.

Narumi turned to them, giving a quiet laugh. "Come on, now, everyone; I only give exams that I know you can answer," he said, amidst everyone's clamoring for hints and clues. With a shake of his head, he looked down to Natsume's paper, and smiled.

On the paper, in a careless scribble, was only one word:

_Considered. _

**consider.**

* * *

I miss writing this sort of one-shot. I hope you enjoyed it. :)

This September, the Ateneo College Entrance Test was conducted. An essay question went like this: _Consider the word 'Ateneo'. _For the record, I don't know what the right answer is, although I would have answered as I had written. Because I'm a fearless bastard, ho-ho. ;)

I finished my two exams today! Two consecutive periods in the morning, which meant three straight hours of mindeff. Not to mention I was the head of my organization's debate and public speaking event later in the afternoon. I'm freaking _exhausted_, but I thought I'd post this before going to sleep.

Review? :)

**Hilaire****  
12.13.11**


	32. Obsession

This was originally published as a part of _The 3AM Humor_, a collab collection of snippets and drabbles by myself and _Ria Lee. _

* * *

**#32:  
****Obsession**

It was always a pain to run away from fan girls.

* * *

"Misaki, hurry and hide me!"

The seventeen-year-old Misaki looked up from the textbook he was reading, frowning at his friend who had recklessly barged into his room again. "Fan girls? _Again_?" he muttered. He just knew he shouldn't have told Narumi that he could go to him anytime he had fan girl problems.

"Yes!" Narumi exclaimed, still trying to catch his breath as his eyes desperately sought all four corners of Misaki's room for a spot to hide. It took him a few moments to realize that the other young man had turned back to his book, as if he heard nothing. "Misaki! What the hell are you doing?"

"Reading?" Misaki said, at which Narumi almost choked.

"_Reading_! At a time when your friend is in most need of your help, you're _reading_!" Narumi fumed, just as he heard the pounding on Misaki's door. "Oh, _shit_! How did they know I'm here?"

Misaki growled, remembering it would be the _fifteenth _time he would have to repair the door to his room within the span of two weeks. "Dammit, Narumi! Couldn't you have gone somewhere else instead of my room? You know that they know you always go here!"

Much to his surprise, Narumi was already climbing outside his window as he spoke. "Hey, you idiot! Are you trying to commit suicide?" he yelled. "We're on the _third _floor!"

Narumi barely heard him as he jumped to the balcony of the next door. "What would be suicide is if I let those girls get me!" he exclaimed. "See you around!"

Misaki could only gape as his friend continued to leap dexterously, almost impressed despite himself –

It was then that he heard the door to his room finally give away, and Misaki froze, realizing the fool who was claiming to be his best friend had left him with his fan girls. With deep misgivings, Misaki slowly turned to look at what awaited him.

Standing by the doorway were about twenty of Narumi's fan girls, an odd twinkle in their eyes.

"Start talking, Misaki."

Damn, but he had better practice those window climbing skills, too.

**obsession.**

* * *

I want to pity both Narumi and Misaki, but it's too funny so I'll laugh instead. XD

**Hilaire****  
12.17.11**


	33. Beautiful

For _phireye_, inspired by Kelly Clarkson's _Beautiful Disaster_.Thank you for the wonderful song recommendation. I told you this would be up before the year ends. I hope you like this. :)

_Madness Arc : _ Part 1.

* * *

**#33:  
****Beautiful**

"You're my partner," he told her sternly. "You're supposed to be here when I need you."

* * *

The sixteen-year-old young woman opened the door to the administrator's office, blinking at the darkness that greeted her. She furrowed her eyebrows, wondering if the new student she was supposed to fetch had already left by himself. The meeting that she had been called to attend ended up much later than she had anticipated, and the sudden storm had only furthered her delay.

She took a step back and opened the door wider, her hand feeling the wall for the light switch. _It should be around here, somewhere… _ she thought, only to freeze when she felt someone touch her hand. She gave a shriek, quickly pulling away so that she slammed against the door, just as lights flooded the elegant briefing room.

"Are you all right?"

She straightened up, feeling mildly embarrassed by her stupidity, and glared at the new student. "You scared me!" she snapped, regretting the words as soon as they escaped her lips. News about this particular alice had been made known nearly one month prior to today, together with the rumors of how frightening he was. Everyone said he was scary not only because of his alice, which fell under the dangerous type, but because he was supposedly cruel and ruthless.

The stories were told from one person to another, ultimately twisted enough to make even _her _a bit scared – and she wasn't one to be easily scared.

With a hesitant frown, she looked over to the young man, noting how he seemed approachable enough despite the rumors. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans that looked about twice his size, and a dark shirt that seemed too big even for his trim frame. A dark cap hid most of his face from view, including his eyes. "I'm all right," she said, wondering why the Academy hadn't even given him a change of clothes. The profile she had been given of him said that he came from an orphanage in the more rural parts outside the capital, and he certainly looked the part. "Narumi, right?"

He simply nodded, prompting her frown to deepen. His perfect posture gave him a confidence that was quite intimidating, especially for his age, making it obvious that his silence was not because of shyness, but more likely conceit. "Do you mind taking off your cap?" she told him, her voice sounding more like a command instead of a request.

He paused, turning his head so that he seemed to be looking directly at her, like he was waiting for her to recant. A short moment passed and she kept her silence, making him huff in irritation. "Fine," he muttered coldly.

Without another word, he pulled his cap off, revealing his long, golden mane underneath it. The soft curls fell a little past his shoulders, the messy bangs framing his face in a careless cascade. He ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tidy it up, and scowled when he noticed her staring at him. "Is there a problem?" he asked, his dark violet eyes sharp and unfriendly.

She blinked twice in succession, only then realizing that she was staring. Narumi's features were soft, much like a woman's, and even his hideous clothing couldn't hide the fact that he was very attractive – the sort that made one pause and wonder how a guy could be so beautiful. "Didn't the Academy give you a change of clothes?" she asked instead, in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Is there something wrong with my clothes?"

She hesitated, watching as his pretty features darkened. "No," she told him, "but the Academy has already adopted you. They've taken full responsibility of you and providing for you."

He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. "I insisted on wearing these today," he said, in a tone that more than revealed his distaste for the adoption. He looked over to her with a frown. "Who are _you_?" he asked, rather rudely.

She drew back, only to bump against the doorframe. Narumi _was _ intimidating, even without trying, and she couldn't help the unease that tugged at her chest under his gaze. "I'm your partner," she said, knowing that he had already been informed about her during his briefing, just before she arrived. "I'm a member of Class B, the class you'll be joining. I'll show you around and help you get to know the Academy better."

He fixed her with an intent stare, and she shifted, feeling unnerved. Narumi's gaze felt like they could see right through her, like he could clearly see how uncomfortable he was making her feel – and enjoying every second of it.

He tilted his head, seeming to have decided that he had made her uncomfortable enough. "You're late," he simply pointed out.

Her shoulders fell, just as she let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "I'm – I'm sorry," she muttered. "My meeting ran late, and the storm was so sudden – "

"Just don't do that again."

She paused, unsure if she heard right. "What?"

"You're my partner," he told her sternly, drawing away from the doorframe and taking a step to her. "You're supposed to be here when I need you."

She blinked, lifting her head so she could look at him. Narumi was very tall, and she reached only a little above his shoulders. She felt the words catch in her throat as her gray eyes met his dark violets and he was standing so very close; and for a moment she thought she realized what everyone truly meant when they said Narumi was dangerous, even without his alice.

She pulled away, earning a faint look of surprise from him. "I understand," she told him, and offered him a smile. "Welcome to Alice Academy, Narumi."

۞۞۞

"You're partners with the new student?"

The gray-eyed alice looked up from the homework she was cramming, feeling a bit surprised to find nearly half the entire Class B crowding around her desk. "I am," she nodded, before turning back to what she was doing. There was less than ten minutes left before Calculus, and she was barely halfway through the problems.

"So how is he?" one of them prompted, seeming put off by her disinterest. "Is he going to class today?"

She shook her head, still buried in her work. "I'm not sure," she murmured. "He only arrived yesterday, and he was tired from the travel," she said, remembering the weariness that had swept over Narumi's grim features at the sight of his bed. The new student was more exhausted than he would ever let on, although she had the sense that it was not simply from the long travel, but from other things on his mind as well.

"Is he as scary as he's rumored to be?" one girl asked.

The question was thrown so unexpectedly that she had to pause, unsure how respond. Narumi _had _ been quite frightening, with his unsmiling face and the piecing coldness that even his words seemed to hold. His casual, indifferent bearing was an enough indication that he could care less what other people thought about him, giving him an aura of both confidence and conceit. And his eyes – his eyes were cold, like they had already seen far more of the world's realities than any sixteen-year-old should. The way he looked at her had unnerved her, like he had already figured out all of her in a glance.

Still, she couldn't forget that his first greeting to her were words of almost concern, when she had slammed against the doorway of the room he was in. The words kept resounding in her thoughts, although she knew he must have uttered them without any genuine worry.

She drew out a breath, remembering the odd tone of his voice when he acknowledged her as his partner. He had sounded so serious, so earnest; like he was asserting his claim on something – someone that was his possession.

"_You're my partner. You're supposed to be here when I need you."_

She frowned, marveling at what he must have meant.

"Come on, at least give us something," one of her classmates said, interrupting her musings. "One word. Just describe him in one word."

She stared blankly at the curious faces of her classmates, realizing that they wouldn't leave her alone unless she gave them an answer. _One word, _ she thought distractedly, her gaze falling on the young man who had just entered the room. He was wearing the high school uniform, a Top Star brooch idly pinned on its left collar. His long, golden hair fell over his shoulders neatly, his bangs almost obscuring his violet eyes from view. He had one hand in his pocket, his bored gaze scanning the room for someone.

She blinked, just as their eyes met, and the word she was looking for tumbled out faster than she could have thought it could. "Beautiful," she murmured, barely noticing as everyone else followed her stare, and suddenly the entire room was silent.

She watched as Narumi made his way to her, his strides so sure and steady that everyone let him pass without a word. He stopped right in front of her, unmindful of everyone else as he fixed her with a careful stare.

She gave him a quiet smile. "Good morning, Narumi."

**beautiful.**

* * *

I encourage everyone to listen to the song; it's simply wonderful. :) _Madness Arc _ will be very different from any other arc I've written so far, and I'm really excited to write the rest of it. Please leave a review and tell me what you think of this beginning, and perhaps some guesses as to what direction this is heading. I'd love to know your conjectures.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year! :)

**Hilaire  
****12.29.11**


	34. Pride

First off: Apologies for the lateness of this update! Especially to _phireye, _to whom this arc is dedicated. I honestly felt uninspired to continue this collection for a while. I also put writing and updating to the backburner in the last couple of months because of school and a ton of extracurricular activities. To top it all off, I graduated just yesterday aaand I actually snagged Latin honors. Hohoho. There's just so much going on right now, and it's all very exciting. :)

Here's a long chapter to compensate your wait!

_Madness Arc : _ Part 2.

* * *

**#34:  
****Pride**

"I don't know why we're both Top Star students," Narumi said,  
"but you're gravely mistaken if you think Misaki and I are equals."

* * *

"I didn't think you'd go to class today," she told Narumi over lunch, once the two of them were alone. She had originally intended to invite him to join her and their other classmates, but the unfriendly look in his eyes convinced her that he wouldn't like the idea.

That, and she felt pretty certain that their classmates were quite intimidated by him. It was only expected, of course, especially given the reputation that had preceded his arrival in the Academy, but she still couldn't brush off the niggling sense that Narumi was pleased by this – like he truly didn't want anyone to get close to him.

She inwardly shook her head at her own thoughts, feeling guilty. She shouldn't be thinking such things about someone she barely even knew. "I know you were exhausted from the travel yesterday," she told him instead. "You could have taken the time to rest."

Narumi threw her a fleeting glance before turning his eyes outside, idly stirring his drink with the straw. He had previously turned down his lunch, saying that he was not hungry. "I wanted to look around," he simply said. "I want to know more about Alice Academy."

She nodded, noting his refined manner and speech. She knew from her conversation with the administrators that Alice Academy had been providing for him ever since he was eleven years old. He was sent to the most prominent schools in the country, where he emerged to be the best – a _natural genius_, as the administrators fondly called him. "Top Star," she remarked, her gaze falling on the brooch on his left collar.

Narumi glanced down at it. "Is this supposed to be a big deal?" he asked.

She gave a nod, remembering how everyone had fussed over this when they noticed Narumi donning on a Top Star brooch. "It is. It's not something that they give to students so easily. It's only for students who consistently achieve impressive scholastic records, or have attained exceptional mastery of their alice, or both," she said. "There's only one Top Star student in the High School Division aside from you."

A flicker of curiosity seemed to flash in Narumi's eyes. "Who's the other one?" he asked.

She smiled, inwardly pleased that he finally seemed interested in talking. "His name is Misaki, from Class A. He has the alice of plant manipulation, and undoubtedly the best student in all of Alice Academy." She felt her smile twist into an uncertain grin when she saw him give her blank look, remembering his own star ranking. "Well you _are _ a Top Star student, too, so you must be equals – "

"Luna?"

The young woman raised her gaze to the person who spoke, a smile easily adorning her face when she saw who it was. "Misaki!" she greeted, quickly rising from her seat to give the young man an embrace. "You're back."

Misaki smiled, returning her embrace. "This morning, just in time for our first class," he said, the weariness unmistakable in his eyes as he pulled away.

She felt her smile wane, remembering that the reason for Misaki's absence in the last seven days was his mission for Dangerous Ability. "Are you all right?" she asked, well aware of the fact the danger that came with those missions. A single mistake could mean death for him and the other alices working with him.

"I'm all right," he said, giving her a reassuring smile before deftly changing the topic. "About the competition…"

She snapped her fingers, realizing what he approached her for. "That's right. Your class vice-president signed you up for it last week." She gave him a careful stare, wondering if he was truly as well as he claimed to be. "Wait, did you want to withdraw?" she asked, feeling quite certain that he should take a rest. "The competition is next week, and you look really exhausted," she told him, unable to keep the worry in her voice. Misaki was heralded the finest student of the Academy, but even he could only endure so much.

Misaki shook his head, managing a weak smile. "Thank you, but I'm all right. They only wanted me to make sure I've been listed as a participant."

"Oh," she murmured, just as her gaze fell on Narumi. Her partner was quiet in his seat, seeming to be in a bad mood as he glared outside the windows. She turned back to Misaki, wondering if Narumi perhaps felt a little out of place. "Before I forget, I'd like to introduce you to my partner, Narumi," she started, gesturing to the fair-haired young man from across the table. "He arrived in the Academy only yesterday."

She looked over to Narumi, only to be surprised by the dark expression of disapproval in his face. He gave Misaki a grim look, looking almost hostile. "N-Narumi, this is Misaki from Class A. He's the other Top Star student I've been telling you about," she said, inwardly cursing herself for stuttering. Why did it have to feel like she had done something to upset Narumi?

She watched the young man get to his feet and extend a hand to Misaki. "Narumi," he said coldly. "I'm her partner."

The good-natured Misaki gave a smile before accepting the handshake. "So am I," he said, giving a light chuckle when Narumi furrowed his eyebrows. Misaki took back his hand and flashed a small grin. "I'm Misaki, and I was her partner when she first arrived here."

Narumi's face was blank, but something in it seemed to indicate that he was not amused. "I see."

"Uh-huh. It's nice to see that she has her own partner now," Misaki said, seemingly oblivious to Narumi's worsening temper as he smiled at her. "In any case, I need to go catch up on schoolwork. I'll be in the competition tomorrow." He glanced over to Narumi and nodded. "It was nice meeting you, Narumi. I'll see you around."

The young woman watched Narumi follow Misaki with his gaze, the dark expression lingering in his face. "Is he talking about the Alice Scholastic Competition?"

She paused, surprised that he knew of it. "How do you know about it?"

Narumi gestured to the poster not too far off as he settled into his seat, looking at her like she had just asked the stupidest question in the world.

She felt herself blush, and she sat down. "Oh. Right," she said, trying to hide her embarrassment. "The annual Alice Scholastic Competition is divided into three categories – elementary, middle school, and high school – to accommodate all levels." She looked at him curiously. "Would you like to participate?"

"Registration ended yesterday," he pointed out.

She gave him a smile. "I'm one of the organizers for this year, so I can still get you signed up," she said. "Besides, you've only arrived yesterday, and there's hardly any participant in the high school division," she added, picking up her organizer as she studied the list for tomorrow. "Everyone else just signs up so the high school category won't be called off altogether."

Narumi seemed puzzled. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "Misaki _always _ wins, regardless of who goes against him," she said. "The administrators will cancel the high school category if no one competes against him, so we try to get some students to sign up." A smile dawned on her face as she scribbled some notes on the list. "Of course no one actually beats Misaki in the end. It's just fun."

"Fun, huh," Narumi murmured, and when she looked up at him she saw him lazily stirring his drink, as if marveling at the word. "Sign me up for it."

She blinked, and felt a smile slowly form her lips. "Really?" she asked, feeling suddenly very excited. Narumi had had an air of arrogance in him from the very first time they met, and she never would have thought that he would voluntarily participate in something like the Alice Scholastic Competition. He looked like someone who knew his own capabilities perfectly well, and did not feel the need to prove himself to anyone.

Then again, she had only met him, and she barely even knew who he was. Narumi was probably just aloof and cold because he was new to the Academy, and he still needed the time to adjust and meet the other alices.

She gave her partner an encouraging smile. "I'll be seeing you on Friday, then, Narumi."

**x ~ x ~ x**

"Last five minutes, everyone!" the young woman called out, effectively silencing the small room which served as the headquarters of the organizers for that annual Alice Scholastic Competition that year. It was finally Friday, and everyone was busy with ensuring that all the details were set.

She looked down to her checklist, firing last-minute orders while keeping a record of everyone's updates. So far everything seemed to be in place. "What about the contestants?" she asked, looking up from her list when she noticed the awkward silence that followed her question.

"We originally have five contestants for the high school division, but three of them withdrew just now," one of them said, making her frown.

"What?" she muttered, her voice coming out irritated. She was tense and very nervous, and the last thing she wanted to hear was bad news. "But if we lose participants then it will get cancelled – "

"Misaki and Narumi are still up, so I don't think that will happen," they told her.

She gripped her pen tighter. "And are they there yet?" she asked, only feeling slightly relieved. She was certain that Misaki would not withdraw, but as for Narumi… well she hadn't even seen him since they had lunch together on his first day in the Academy one week ago.

"Misaki is already in his position, but we can't find Narumi anywhere," one of them said, making her only more nervous.

_Where's Narumi? _ she thought, wondering if the young man had changed his mind about participating the last second. She sat down in her place, suddenly cold. If he didn't show up, then all her had work would mean nothing. "Can't we get some students to show up there just so we can continue?" she asked, trying to sort out her thoughts. She couldn't simply watch all the preparations go to a waste –

"You're not cancelling. I'm here."

The young woman turned to the sound of the voice, her eyes widening in delight when she saw that it was her partner. "Narumi!" she called out, relief flooding her features as she met his gaze. "I'm so glad you're here! I thought you wouldn't – " She paused, frowning at the bruises on his face. "What happened to you?"

He shrugged, his chest slightly heaving. "I just arrived from a mission," he said, the faintest of exhaustion in his eyes.

"Mission?" she repeated. She knew that Narumi's alice fell under the Dangerous Ability category, but she didn't think that he would start going to missions so early. He had only been in the Academy for several days, and students who were sent to missions usually trained for _months_. "W-When did you leave for that mission?"

"On the evening of my first day here," he said, giving her a frown. "Didn't they tell you?"

She shook her head. "N-No; I – I thought you were studying for today's competition and – " she stopped, frowning at him when he scoffed.

"Study? For _this_?" he said, lifting an eyebrow in incredulity. "You say the most ridiculous things."

"Well I thought you'd like to win," she told him sheepishly.

"I don't need to study to win this," he told her, sounding so confident and smug that it was difficult to doubt him. "I heard everyone else but Misaki withdrew anyway, so it should be a piece of cake."

"Misaki is the best student in all of Alice Academy," she said, instantly doubting the words as soon as they escaped her lips. She watched Narumi look over to her with a smirk, as if she had just made the most ridiculous assertion in all of the Academy.

"I guess we'll see, won't we?"

**x ~ x ~ x**

It was several minutes later when the competition finally started. The young woman took her place in the front row, impatiently waiting for the game master to finish explaining the rules.

"The Alice Scholastic Competition for High School is divided into three sets of questions: easy, moderate, and difficult. There are ten questions for the easy set, each worth fifty points. For the moderate set, there are also ten questions, each worth seventy points. There are only seven questions for the difficult set, but each is worth a hundred and twenty points," the game master explicated.

"Each participant may ring the buzzer before the game master is finished reading the question, and has seven seconds to answer it. In case the answer is wrong, the other participant is given the chance to answer it after the question is read again," the game master continued. "The questions we'll ask are the general materials that we learn in our high school subjects. The answers that we give out are final and irrevocable. The one who gathers the most – or in this case _more_ points – wins the competition."

"Your partner is really brave for going against Misaki head-on," one of the girls to her left said. "You should have told him that Misaki always wins."

The young woman nodded absentmindedly, her eyes fixated on Narumi. "I told him that," she said, remembering the confidence with which he had mocked her claims about Misaki. Narumi didn't seem at all intimidated by the fact that it was going to be his first time in competing in the annual Alice Scholastic Competition, or that he didn't have any idea what the questions could be, or that he had just come from a mission all bruised and exhausted.

_What a stubborn man._

"He doesn't stand a chance against Misaki," one of them added with a giggle, and the young woman frowned, suddenly feeling irritated by the words. Misaki was her friend, and she liked him very much, but somehow it didn't feel right that everyone was already thinking that Narumi would lose even when the game hadn't started yet.

Narumi _was_ a new student, but he was a Top Star student, too. She wasn't sure how the administrators had evaluated him and decided on that star ranking for him, but she was certain that he wouldn't have been a Top Star student if they thought he didn't deserve to be one.

The Top Star ranking was something that was not given to everyone, and she was sure that the administrators must have seen something in Narumi that made him worthy of receiving it.

"Let's just see, all right?" she murmured, unwilling to let anyone distract her from watching. She was quiet in her seat as the game master read the first easy question, her eyes fixed on Narumi.

"This is the sacred book of the ancient people of Persia."

The was a buzz, and all eyes turned to Misaki for an answer. "Zendavesta," he said into the microphone, earning the cheer of the entire auditorium even before the game master affirmed his answer to be correct.

"That's correct. The first fifty points goes to Misaki, then," the game master said, nodding his head with a smile as the points were recorded. "Let's proceed to the next question."

The young woman stared at her partner, noting how he didn't even attempt to ring the buzzer. The new student was absentmindedly staring out the window next to where he was standing, his expression blank, as if he found the whole thing too tedious to bother with.

_He's not even listening! _ she thought, giving him a wide-eyed stare upon this realization. She looked over to Misaki, who had just gotten the third fifty points for himself. Behind her, the students continued to cheer for Misaki, although it was obvious that most of them were also starting to notice Narumi's lack of interest and effort in the contest.

"What's your partner doing?" her seatmate asked, just as Misaki's score ticked four hundred fifty, while Narumi's remained at zero.

"I – I don't know," she said, sincerely wondering what her partner could be thinking. She watched his lips move as Misaki answered the fifth question of the round, and froze.

Narumi was whispering the answer to himself.

She kept her silence as the game proceeded, her eyes not leaving Narumi for one second. It was less than five minutes later when the game master finally concluded the easy round, which Misaki effortlessly perfected with five hundred points. Narumi, on the other hand, remained quiet where he stood, unmindful of the crowd's reaction to his indifference.

"If you're not going to answer, just get off the podium!" someone yelled, to which the game master waved a hand.

"May we please request our audience to keep their silence," the game master said with an uncertain grin, before turning his eyes to Narumi. He put away his microphone and looked over to Narumi. "You can still catch up, you know – "

"Three," Narumi cut off, his cold, dead voice in the microphone echoing throughout the auditorium and rendering the entire place suddenly quiet. "I'll _allow_ Misaki to answer the next three questions," he said, finally lifting his gaze to look over to Misaki. "But after that, no more."

A heavy silence descended upon the room, and the young woman blinked in her seat, a quick mental calculation making her realize that her partner had just made an implicit assertion that he was going to win. She looked over to Misaki, and found the young man smiling in amusement.

"You're on, Narumi," Misaki said, and once more the auditorium was alive with cheering.

"With that, let's proceed with the moderate round!" the game master announced, seemingly thrilled by the turn of events.

"Your partner really thinks he can beat Misaki at this?" a person seated behind her asked, sounding unamused by Narumi's little wordplay.

She only smiled, unable to find it in her heart to doubt Narumi. The young man was undoubtedly very arrogant, but she was pretty sure that he wasn't the sort to say something that he would not be able to accomplish.

It was at that moment that Misaki's score ticked seven hundred ten, and she felt her chest constrict, realizing that her friend had just finished his third question. She looked over to Narumi, and found that he was still looking at the trees outside, his eyes blank and unseeing.

"This is a symbiotic relationship referring to the partial dependence of evolutionary changes of an organism to another specie which it has a close ecological relationship. This is observed in monarch butterflies – "

There was a buzz, and time seemed to stop, just as everyone realized that Narumi was finally answering. The young man lowered his head to the microphone, and spoke. "The answer is coevolution."

The game master was impressive in the swiftness of his reaction. "Coevolution is correct! Narumi gets his first seventy points for this answer!" he said, his voice snapping everyone out of their astonishment.

The young woman watched Narumi smirk at everyone's surprise, as if he had expected for them to doubt him. On the other side of the stage, Misaki was still smiling, a mixture of both surprise and amusement in his face as he smiled at Narumi.

"That was just luck!" the people behind her muttered. "Misaki will get the next one!"

The gray-eyed alice shifted in her seat, knowing that Narumi knew the answers even to all the previous questions. She hadn't realize it until the fifth easy question, but he was always silently mouthing the answers even before Misaki could.

"Narumi…" she whispered, watching him answer his second moderate question, looking absolutely casual amid everyone's surprise.

"The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Emmuska Orczy," he said. His expression was unchanging even as he answered the several remaining questions. There were no hesitations and no pauses, as if he wasn't even thinking of the answers. In less than three minutes, the moderate round was over.

"The turn of events has been very interesting, everyone!" the game master announced. "Narumi from Class B started out with zero but emerges with four hundred ninety points for this round. Misaki from Class A, however, remains in the lead, with seven hundred ten points. We now begin the difficult round!"

The young woman kept her eyes on the stage, holding her breath each time that Narumi answered the questions for the difficult round. He could still miss one question and win over Misaki, but he didn't look like he had plans of letting that happen. It took her a moment to remember that there were only twenty-seven questions, and Narumi wanted to answer fourteen of them, which would mean absolute victory for himself: He would get higher points and also answer more questions than Misaki.

She watched the two young men remain unmoving as the game master finished reading the last question. Misaki seemed to hesitate, shaking his head, as if the words slipped his mind.

From where he stood, Narumi looked at Misaki, an expression of disappointment in his face when he seemed to notice the other student's uncertainty. He looked over to where his partner was seated and smirked, finally pressing the buzzer.

"Yes, Narumi?"

"It was Mozart's piece, Voi che sapete from Le nozze di Figaro," he said, answering the final difficult question. His score ticked one thousand three hundred and thirty, and he looked at Misaki once more, tilting his head in contempt for the other student's seven hundred ten points.

"That is the correct answer!" the game master declared, just as the confetti and balloons fell from above. "This year's Alice Scholastic Competition is finally over! Narumi from Class A emerges as this year's champion! Congratulations, Narumi!"

**x ~ x ~ x**

There was a loud cheering of the students from Class A as soon as the game master finally concluded the competition, and the young woman found herself running to Narumi, throwing her arms around his neck. "You won!" she breathed, only to feel him stiffen under her touch.

She quickly pulled away, although her smile refused to leave her lips. "Congratulations, Narumi," she told him, pausing when she saw that a dark expression once again adorned his features. He was staring behind her, a smirk of distaste seeming to tug on his lips.

She followed where he was looking at, her eyes widening when she realized that he was looking at Misaki. Most of the students had crowded around the young man, shaking his hands and congratulating him despite his loss to Narumi. "Misaki…"

"I don't know why we're both Top Star students," Narumi said told her, making her turn back to him, "but you're gravely mistaken if you think that Misaki and I are equals." He let go of her, his right hand gripping his left side as he started to walk away.

"I'm so much better than Misaki can ever be."

She swallowed, watching as he slowly made his way out of the auditorium, the loud thudding of her heart drowning out everyone else's cheering for Misaki. She let her gaze drop to the floor, a soft gasp escaping her lips when she saw the pool of blood where Narumi had been standing for almost the entire competition. A trail of blood stretched from the podium to where the young man was now standing, and her mind spun, remembering their conversation before the competition even began.

"_I just arrived from a mission."_

It took barely a heartbeat before she found herself running after her partner, inwardly cursing him for acting so reckless. He had been slowly bleeding to death the entire time that he was playing against Misaki, but he acted so arrogant and proud she didn't even realize it.

"_You're not cancelling. I'm here."_

"Narumi!" she called out, catching hold of him just as his strength gave way, and he finally collapsed in exhaustion.

**pride.**_  
(to be continued)_

* * *

This arc is going to be much longer than the other arcs of this collection, so I'm trying to make it as groundbreaking as possible. Hopefully it turns out okay, and I'll still have you guys to stick with me till the end.

I'd like to point out that while the girl in this arc is called Luna, she is _not _the same Luna in the manga, and they have no connection whatsoever. The Luna that I'm writing about is an original character I made up for the purposes of my story.

I hope you liked the chapter, and leave a review!

**Hilaire****  
04.20.12**


	35. Guilt

For _Phireye_, because she passed Chinese. And she's awesome.

_Madness Arc : _ Part 3.

* * *

**#35:  
****Guilt**

"There's really no need to feel responsible for what happened, because I didn't do any of that for you."  
He gave her a bland smile.  
"I did it for no one but myself."

* * *

_One week later, Alice Academy Medical Wing._

The young woman hurriedly rounded a corner, her light footsteps barely making a sound in the empty hallway of the academy hospital. Her eyes lit up as soon as she caught sight of her destination, and she picked up speed.

"Narumi – !" she exclaimed as soon as she was standing by the door, only to come to an abrupt halt when she realized that it was open.

She blinked, breathlessly tiptoeing to peek inside the room. She wasn't surprised when she saw that it was crowded with her classmates again. Probably half of Class B was there, surrounding Narumi's bed just enough to keep him from her sight. _Just like before, _ she thought, remembering that it had always been like this after the scholastic competition one week ago.

The entire auditorium had been left in bewildered silence when Narumi collapsed in her arms, as if what happened momentarily stole their ability to react. Even the usually quick-witted Misaki had looked stunned as he fully grasped the condition under which Narumi had competed against him. It had taken a panicked scream from her to snap everyone out of their astonishment, to remind them that Narumi was bleeding to death in her arms.

"_Call a doctor!"_

" – the flowers from Class B. We're really happy to welcome you back to class, Narumi," a female voice said, interrupting the young woman's musings and snapping her back to reality. She straightened up from her slouch and squinted, curious to see the person who spoke. It wasn't a secret to her that most of her female classmates had always had some sort of crush on her partner.

_Kana? _ she thought, blinking at the sight of Class B's president. Kana Miyazawa was standing right next to Narumi's bed, holding up a bouquet of freshly picked variety of flowers for him. Curiously enough, the girl had been making frequent visits to the young man ever since he was confined. There were even days that Luna would arrive and find the girl alone with the blond, always looking absolutely fascinated by him.

"What are you doing there, Luna?"

The young woman stiffened, flashing a small grin when she realized that Narumi was staring at her from across the room. The young man lifted an eyebrow at her, as if issuing a silent command for her to approach.

"I'm just surprised by the number of visitors today," she said, focusing her gaze on him as she made her way to his bed. She stopped a few paces away from him, not wanting to stand next to the class president. She never liked Kana, and she was very sure that the other girl felt the same.

"Narumi is going to be discharged today, so we thought we'd drop by before Physical Ed starts," Kana said, forcing Luna to look at her.

"They were just leaving," Narumi added promptly, making the ones in the room turn to him in obvious surprise. He seemed to notice this and casually gestured to the wall clock. "Physical Ed starts in twenty minutes. I wouldn't want to keep you here."

Kana blinked, looking briefly thrown off. "Uh, right. Physical Ed," she agreed, impressing Luna herself when she gave a soft laugh. "I almost forgot the time myself. Thank you for reminding me, Narumi."

Without waiting for the blond's response, the president turned to the rest of the people in the room and clapped her hands together. "Time to head back to class, everyone! There's a tournament in Physical Ed today, and we can't be late!" She turned to Luna with a smirk. "Time to leave."

The gray-eyed young woman blinked at this, staring back at the class president wordlessly as the other members of Class B bid their farewell to Narumi. "Well you see – "

"Luna is staying."

Both girls turned to Narumi in surprise, not realizing that the young man had noticed the tension between them. "She is?" Kana asked, her tone calculated.

Narumi's lips crafted up into a faint smirk. "She's my partner."

The president visibly stiffened at this, the smile on her lips faltering just a little. "I see." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I suppose I'll just see you both in class, then." With a slight nod to both of them, the young woman turned on her heel and beckoned their classmates to follow.

_Does she like him? _ she thought, turning to Narumi to ask if he noticed it as well. She changed her mind as soon as she saw his grim expression, wondering if something was wrong. "Did something happen?" she asked. He was just smiling a while ago, wasn't he?

Narumi tilted his head to one side, the coldness that had overtaken his features almost making her skin prickle. "You're late."

"The teacher asked me to help her carry some things to her office." She picked up the untouched bowl of soup on the bedside table, noting that it was still warm. "Our classmates always keeps you company, anyway." She took her place on the couch next to his bed, scooping up a spoonful of the food and blowing lightly on it before bringing it closer to Narumi's mouth. "Eat up."

Narumi stared at it coldly, an expression of irritation making its way to his pretty face. "I can eat by myself, thank you," he snapped, sounding utterly ungrateful despite his words. He raised his eyes to her when she refused to take back her hand, frowning openly at her. "You'll be late for class," he pointed out, not even making an attempt to disguise the fact that he was only saying it to get rid of her.

_What an odd contradiction, _ she thought, inwardly shaking her head. Didn't Narumi just say that she was staying because she was his partner? "I can run," she offered. She watched him part his lips to retort and took her chance, quickly pushing the spoon into his mouth before he could protest. "See that wasn't so bad, was it?" she told him, flashing a grin.

Narumi huffed but made no comment, apparently having realized that he had no choice on the matter. The two of them spent the next several minutes in silence, with the young woman only too glad that the new student was finally cooperating.

"But you know," she said, breaking the quiet when he was finally finished eating, "you really shouldn't have done something so reckless."

"It's done and over," Narumi said, giving a casual shrug that made it almost hard to believe that he had nearly bled to death only seven days ago. "Don't dwell on it."

"You nearly _died_," she pointed out, unable to help but wonder if Narumi had some sort of death wish. He certainly didn't look like he was bothered by the thought of it in the slightest. "You could have told me you weren't well."

"I made a promise I'll be there," he said, turning away to look at the falling cherry blossoms outside the window of his room. "Wouldn't they have cancelled the whole thing if I didn't show up?"

She started, unsure whether she should be pleased that Narumi valued his promise to her, or be concerned that he had almost died because of her. "Well that's true, but still – "

"Don't get me wrong," he cut off, turning back to her sternly. "I didn't do it for you." He watched as she blinked in surprise, a cruel smirk forming his lips in what seemed to be dark amusement. "You have to understand: I can't _stand _the mere thought that someone is supposed to be good as I am. It was the perfect opportunity to let Misaki know that there is only one rightful Top Star student in the high school branch – and it's not him."

At this, the young woman was quiet, staring carefully as Narumi's features twisted into an expression of triumph and pride – like a capricious genius who had just overturned a long-accepted truth. And in a way she supposed he did, because the students who underestimated him before knew better now than to ever do it again. Narumi's display of intelligence, together with the brazen attitude with which he conducted himself during the scholastic competition, had more than gotten the attention of the Academy.

Within barely an hour on that fateful day, the young man had made himself known to the entire school. Today, there was no student in Alice Academy who did not know who Narumi was, and that he was just as intelligent, and perhaps even more intelligent, than everyone's beloved Misaki.

"So you see," he said, interrupting her musings, "there's really no need to feel responsible for what happened, because I didn't do any of that for you." He gave her a bland smile. "I did it for no one but myself."

For a long moment after that, the young woman was silent. "You…" she muttered, a frown on her lips. It was obvious enough that the young man was testing her patience. This was certainly not the first time within the week that he had attempted to deter her from seeing him again. "You think I'm only coming here to make myself feel better, because I'm guilty for what happened to you."

"Aren't you?" Narumi scoffed.

She stared at him without a word, wondering why it was so difficult for him to believe that she was doing this of her own accord. "I'm not, but you won't believe me."

Narumi frowned at her, as if he hadn't expected that. Giving a slight shake of her head, the young woman rose from her seat, unwilling to argue with a sick person. "Look, I have to go," she told him instead. "There's a tournament in Physical Education today, and – "

"Tell me why you're here."

She looked over to him, marveling at the play of emotions in his eyes – like a lost child that needed to be told that he was home. "What kind of partner would I be if I left you all alone?"

**x ~ x ~ x**

"You have got to be kidding me."

The young woman turned in the direction of the voice, inwardly grimacing when she saw that it was the class president who spoke. _You took the words right out of my mouth, _ she almost snapped back, but decided against it the last minute. The list on the board said that Kana Miyazawa would be her competing partner in this tournament, and she was not about to make the whole ordeal any worse by letting her temper get the better of her.

The president glanced over to her, a look of obviously fake surprise adorning her features. "I didn't realize you were there," she said, before gesturing to the list in front of them. "Seems we'll be playing on the same side today."

She managed a small smile despite the fact. Her grades were at stake in this game, and she wasn't about to let the president ruin her good scholastic record. "I hope we do well together."

Kana gave a smile that was too sweet for comfort. "I know we will," she said, before gesturing for her to follow the rest of the class to where their teacher was.

Standing amidst her classmates, the young woman almost wished that Narumi was with her, even after his stupid idea that she was only visiting him because she was guilty. _That idiot, _ she thought, her frown deepening when her gaze fell on the class president. Narumi could have picked a better time to be ill.

Kana Miyazawa was the president of Class B, and one of the most popular students in the school. She was a three-star student, a rank that she attained for participating in many scholastic and non-scholastic activities, and a considerable skill in wielding her alice.

She was also the biggest snob, the sort who thought that she was better than the rest of the world put together. She always looked down her nose at others, as if some people were simply _not _ worth her time. It was almost a wonder how she had been elected president of Class B, since most of the class was hesitant to even go anywhere near her.

It was also not a secret that she wanted to be partners with the new alice. One month prior to his arrival, most of Alice Academy already '_knew' _ who Narumi was, except that they didn't, and most of the school, particularly the girls, eagerly expressed their interest to be partners with this mysterious student. Kana was one of them, even going so far as to say that, "This alice would be a piece of cake to tame".

It wasn't hard to imagine how pissed off she was when she realized that Narumi was _not _ going to be her partner – not when she had basically done everything but claim him as hers.

"All right, listen up!" the teacher called out, blowing on her whistle to get everyone's attention. "For today's tournament, you'll be racing with a partner. Your goal is to reach the finish line at the other side of the Academy's borders in the shortest time possible, and with all the items asked of you."

"Each pair has a map and a set of instructions to follow, designed in a way that no two pairs will be in the same place at the same time. Each pair also has different items to collect from another pair, so you won't have the incentive to mess up another person's game by hiding what they're supposed to pick up. The use of your alice is prohibited, and doing so will disqualify you from the game."

"Partners must also arrive in the finish line together, or the game is forfeited," the teacher added. "In case of injury or an emergency, we've provided a small radio which you can use to call us to where you are, after which we will determine if you will still continue."

"The game is good for forty-five minutes, but you are given a maximum of ninety minutes to finish it. Once that is over, we'll consider you lost and pick you up ourselves." At this most of the class laughed. "Are there any questions?"

She raised her hand. "What if we don't finish within ninety minutes, or we somehow end up unable to continue?" she asked, already thinking of the worst. It wasn't as if she trusted Kana to be able to _run_. "How do we make up for this requirement?"

"A project, of course," the teacher said easily, to which she and the rest of the class groaned. Running and sweating was always tons better than having to make a stupid project, especially for Physical Education class.

"Any other question?" The class shook their heads, and the teacher stepped aside. "All right! Remember that this exercise is supposed to measure not only your speed, but also your responsiveness and ability to work well with another person. Ready!"

There was the piercing sound of the whistle, followed by envelopes being ripped open. The young woman glanced down to the map in her hands, frowning when she realized that they were supposed to head to the Northern Forest and find five pieces of blue ribbons.

"Northern Forest?" Kana muttered, looking severely displeased by this. Right, and they were supposed to race. As if.

She nodded. "Let's run for it," she said, and started jogging in the direction of the forest. Most of their classmates had already sprinted for their own destinations as soon as reading the instructions, and she wasn't about to stand there and complain about everything with Kana.

Rolling her eyes, the class president ran after her, impressively keeping up despite her complaints. She ran evidently slower, but her speed was at least steady.

"Hey, Luna!" Kana called out as the two of them were running.

"What?" she asked, unsure if the young woman was actually trying to start a conversation. Kana was not usually very friendly, and she the last thing she should be doing now was wasting her breath _talking_. Discussing things was certainly far easier when you were not running a race.

"How… how is it being… the partner of… the new alice?" Kana breathed, the struggle to talk evident in her gasps.

The young woman almost tripped over nothing upon hearing the question. Thinking about Narumi was something she would rather not do when she was racing for her grades. "It's… it's okay," she said, unsure what to say. Come to think of it, how _was _ it being the partner of Narumi? It wasn't as if she had spent a lot of time with the young man. He had gone off to a mission on his first week, and spent his second inside the hospital. If anything, the only times they had even been together was before this class, and the times that she visited him after school was over.

"Okay?" Kana repeated, looking severely disappointed. "Everyone… everyone was… dying to be his partner… and that's all you can say? _Okay_?"

Luna stopped her sprint as soon as she saw the marked tree indicated in their map. "We haven't really… we haven't really spoken that much," she said, trying to catch her breath.

Kana stopped beside her, her hands on either knees as she wheezed. "…that's so… silly… not talking to him… when you have the… opportunity to…" She looked up, frowning as if her classmate had done a terrible sin. "You should ask him… about himself and make him… feel welcome…"

Luna tried to ignore the words as she looked up at the tall tree. If Kana really wanted to be partners with Narumi, she should just ask the administrators to do something about it. It wasn't as if it was Luna's fault that she got assigned to be Narumi's partner. _And it isn't as if I'm enjoying it, _ she thought, remembering what Narumi had told her just before she left for this class.

She frowned, circling the tree. The idiot actually thought that she was faking concern, and that she was doing all of it for self-gratification. He probably didn't even realize how worried she had been when she saw him lose consciousness right before her very eyes.

She was guilty, of course – that was a given. But he was gravely mistaken if he thought that the only reason she was still coming to see him was to ease that guilt. _That's stupid, _ she thought, stopping in front of a small plant. "I think I see where we should dig."

"_Dig_?" Kana repeated, like it was the most disgusting word in the world. She scoffed, walking up to her partner in the tournament. She looked down at the dry land covered with some light grasses, scrunching up her pretty face. "_Gross_. No way I'm digging that."

Luna huffed, crouching low and picking up a broken twig. She tossed it to Kana. She didn't really expect the president to do any manual labor, even if it meant skipping out on schoolwork. "Here, just use that." She looked around for whatever else she could use, feeling relieved when she spotted a sizeable broken branch. She didn't want to use her hands to dig either. "Come on!"

The two of them started digging the soil under the small plant, with her doing most of the work while the president simply poking at the surface. "This is so disgusting, Luna. I can't believe you're doing that," Kana groaned, rolling her eyes and making retching noises every now and then.

Luna pressed her lips together and stayed quiet, focusing on the task at hand. It _was _ pretty disgusting, but it wasn't as if they had a choice on the matter. Anyway if she was remembered right, then there was a river nearby where she could was her hands before they go to their next stop.

It wasn't long until she hit something solid. "Hah, found it," she breathed. Throwing away her makeshift of a shovel, she got on her knees and started pulling out the small parcel. It was nothing but a plastic containing a piece of paper and a blue ribbon – the object that they had been in charge of collecting. She stood up as soon as she got it out, quickly ripping the plastic and retrieving the paper before tossing the ribbon to Kana. "Here. Hold that and keep it clean."

Kana grumbled, shoving the ribbon inside the pocket of her shorts. "So? What does it say?"

"It says proceed to the river," she said, feeling slightly relieved that she could clean up. She didn't want to continue racing covered in filth. "Apparently there's another parcel on the edge or something."

The two of them proceeded in the direction of the river, Kana proving cooperative enough to run with her. It was barely five minutes later when they reached the body of water, stopping near its edge. "It says go to the spot where the mosses are plenty," she muttered, letting her eyes study their surroundings. She lowered herself to a crouch and leaned over to the waters, noting how rapid the flow was as she washed her hands.

"I think it's there," Kana said, pointing to the other end of the river. "If I remember right, that's the most slippery part around here." Without waiting for her partner, the president started walking in the direction where she had pointed.

Luna got up, almost surprised that Kana was helping at all. Then again, the girl had grades to keep. "Where do you think – ?" she started, stopping short when she saw a small parcel hanging precariously on the side covered with mosses. It was fluttering against the wind, hanging about a foot below the ground where they were standing.

She stepped back, suddenly unsure. This was the deeper end of the river, and she wasn't the best swimmer in class. "Kana – "

"Fine, I'll do it," Kana interrupted, shoving her out of the way. Carefully, the young woman lowered herself on the edge, the stones crumbling beneath her feet as she did. "Damn."

Luna peered at the girl anxiously. She might not like Kana, but the last thing she would want was for the girl to plummet into the rapid waters, which was a good three feet below. "Are you okay?" she asked, tapping her foot on the ground lightly. Even a good swimmer would probably have trouble swimming in that current.

"I'm fine," Kana muttered. She was holding herself up impressively, one hand gripping firmly on a sturdy poking branch. Her other arm was outstretched, pushing herself as far as she could to reach the parcel. "Almost… almost there…"

Luna let out the breath she hadn't been holding when she saw Kana finally seize the item. "Got it!" the girl said, putting it inside her pocket quickly. She looked up to where Luna was and let out a huff, starting to climb back up. "Move out of the way so I can – " she started, only to be cut off when the stones started collapsing again. "_Shit_. Luna, I think I'll need your help here."

Luna stepped closer to the edge, her heart suddenly pounding so loud in her chest. "W-What do I do?" she asked, unsure how she could help at all. She crouched next to the edge, watching the girl below fumble with the radio clipped to her shorts. "W-What are you doing?"

"I'm keeping it on just in case," Kana muttered, before making another attempt to climb up. Pushing herself up, she managed to cover at least several inches before she reached out a hand. "Can you reach me? I think you can grab my hand."

Luna rushed to extend an arm to her classmate, flinching when Kana snatched her wrist. "K-Kana – " she said, eyes widening when she felt her classmate pull. She instinctively drew back to steady herself, only to be halted by the girl's firm grip.

"Luna, what are you doing?" Kana demanded, her voice sounding panicked as she pulled harder. "I said help me!"

Luna started, unsure how to pull the girl up when it was Kana who was holding her. Her other hand was planted firmly on the ground, unsure to lean any further for fear that she would lose her balance. "I'm trying to but you're holding me – "

"Luna!" Kana screamed, cutting her off effectively. "I'm slipping!"

In a moment of confusion and worry for her classmate, Luna instinctively leaned in further to check on her classmate, pausing when she realized that Kana was seated on a sizeable, stable piece of protruding rock. The president had a playful smile on her lips, smiling up at her classmate when she saw Luna looking down.

Kana tilted her head to one side, enjoying the surprise on her partner's face as she lowered the volume of the radio. "The rules say that the game stops if either one of us proves unable to continue," she said, before turning the volume back up.

"Luna, please don't push me!" Kana cried, just as she pulled Luna by the arm.

The gray-eyed alice shrieked as she slipped on the slimy moss, falling past her partner and plunging into the rapid current down below.

**x ~ x ~ x**

The seventeen-year-old Narumi sat on the side of the finish line, a bored expression adorning his pretty features. It had almost been forty-five minutes since the race started, and he was sure that his classmates were going to be arriving pretty soon.

"It's a pity you had to get sick," the middle-aged PE teacher said, looking up from the pocket watch that she was holding. "You could have been Luna's partner instead."

Narumi simply shrugged. He doubted he wouldn't have just ditched this class if he hadn't been unwell. The only reason that he was even there now was because he wanted to see his partner after this was over. The young woman had actually had the guts to walk out on him after their little argument. _Of course_ she had only been visiting him because she was feeling guilty. He didn't understand why _she _ should be angry with _him _for saying what he said, when it was perfectly true.

_Is it? _ a small voice in his mind asked, prompting a frown on his lips.

It was at this moment that the radio on the ground decided to produce static. He looked over to it curiously, wondering if someone met an accident. He vaguely remembered that it was only supposed to be used in case of emergency.

"_Can you reach me?" _ a girl was saying, the sound of the water in the background nearly drowning out the panic in her voice. _"I think you can grab my hand." _More static and the sloshing of river. _"Luna!"_

Narumi felt his frown deepen upon hearing the name. "Luna?" he asked, throwing a questioning glance at his teacher, who was also listening to the transcription intently. "Who's her partner?" he asked.

"The class president," the teacher said, before gesturing to the first aid team to prepare. It definitely sounded like someone was in trouble. "They're supposed to go to the river to retrieve the ribbon – "

"_Luna! I'm slipping – !"_

Both Narumi and his teacher turned to the radio when they heard that, the latter grabbing it before firing rapid orders to the team with them. "We need to get to the river quickly. Someone locate the exact location of Luna and Kana – "

There was a breathless, panicked shriek, the words screamed after it leaving Narumi and the rest of the first aid team stunned where they stood.

"_Luna, please don't push me!"_

**guilt.  
**_(to be continued)_

* * *

Wow, this chapter turned out much longer than I could have imagined it would. I feel so out of it, but hopefully it's not as unexciting as I think it is. Anyway, I'm planning to wrap up this little catfight in the next chapter, and then proceed to the more interesting parts of this arc.

You've read this far, so tell me what you think?

**Hilaire  
****08.19.12**


	36. Partner

For _Phireye, _whom I always think of when writing this arc.

Again, I'd like to emphasize that the Luna of this particular arc is an original character I made up. She's different from and has no connection whatsoever to the Luna in the manga.

_Madness Arc : _ Part 4.

* * *

**#36:  
****Partner**

"Don't you care what happens to your partner?"

* * *

There was the piercing coldness, and then the pain from the sudden contact between flesh and water. Luna instinctively gasped, the water entering her nose and sending a sharp sensation to her head. Seized by the intuitive desire to survive, she thrashed about and tried to come up to the surface, her hazy vision catching sight of her classmate throwing the radio on the water before she went under again.

_Damn it, _she thought, the shock from what had just happened paralyzing her limbs. She made a conscious effort to calm herself down so she wouldn't go against the force of the water, but only succeeded at panicking more when she realized that she couldn't do it. She couldn't just remain unmoving when all the warning bells in her head was telling her to _move _ and go against what Physics taught her. There was something terrifying about not struggling and just hopelessly being still, even when she knew that doing otherwise just might cost her her life.

She felt the current toss her around like a rag doll, and in some detached part of her mind wondered if the water had always been this cruel, or perhaps an alice of the water was manipulating it. _Someone help me, _she thought, feeling herself choke. She opened her mouth, unable to hold her breath any further, and felt her mind spin as cold water filled her lungs. She glanced up to where the light was entering through the surface, for a moment feeling oddly relaxed as she started to sink to the bottom.

It wasn't long until the darkness finally engulfed her, and she closed her eyes.

_I don't want to die._

**x ~ x ~ x**

The young woman was trembling, her long, wet hair clinging to her skin. "I – I don't… I don't really know what happened," she muttered, drawing her legs close to her chest as she leaned into the embrace of a close friend from her class. "I was going to climb back up after grabbing the parcel, but Luna – " she coughed, clutching on her chest " – Luna pushed me instead of pulling me up."

The rest of the class was silent as the president had another coughing fit. Around her, the rest of the first aid team meticulously checked on her and began asking questions about how she was feeling. The P.E. teacher herself was distraught, unsure of what she had heard from her student. "Luna fell with you."

Kana nodded. "I reached up for her instinctively, and before I realized it, she was already falling, too." She pulled the towel tighter around her. "I guess she didn't really expect me to grab her with me."

"Why would she do that to you?"

Everyone's eyes were immediately on Narumi as soon as they heard his voice. The transfer student very rarely spoke, but when he finally did everyone knew they had to listen. Right now, the blond looked as impassively as he had always had, his pretty face not showing any trace of worry for his partner, whom half of the first aid team was still looking for.

"_Doesn't he care what happens to his partner?" _

Narumi paid his classmates no mind, fixing his critical gaze at the class president instead. Their teacher had found out that he had left the hospital much earlier than the discharge time that had been set for him, and the woman's condition to overlook it was if he would stay there and not join the others in looking for Luna.

Much to everyone's surprise, the young man had chosen not to argue. He had simply shrugged instead, mumbling a casual 'all right' under his breath as he watched the others make their way to look for his partner. Together with the rest of the class, he stayed behind and checked on the class president. Kana had been found slumped on the riverbank, her forehead bleeding from a concussion. A long gash ran across her left arm, her feet bare after she lost her running shoes in the water.

"I'm not sure," Kana answered, with an uncharacteristic downcast gaze. "We've barely even spoken, and I don't know what she would have against me to do something like that." She pulled her legs close to her chest, an expression of anger creasing her forehead. "She never should have done anything like that," she added, earning a string of whispers from the students around her.

"I can't believe Luna would do that…"

"I know! But the radio and what Kana said…"

The teacher shushed her students. "Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We'll wait for Luna to arrive so we can hear her side of the story," she called out, shaking her head. "I'm sure there's a good explanation for all of this – "

"Good explanation? I could have died because of what she did!" Kana cut off shrilly, silencing everyone around them. "How could you say that you're still giving her a chance to explain? That's ridiculous!"

Their teacher didn't seem to appreciate the outburst. "Let's not argue about this, Kana."

Narumi watched the exchange silently, offering no comment. It was only until he heard the rapid footsteps approaching that he lifted his gaze, and even then his expression remained blank and uncaring.

"We found Luna," Misaki managed to say between gasps, cradling the young woman in his arms.

Upon these words, members of Class A ran to where the unconscious alice was, their worried signs and panicked whispers shattering the quiet that Kana's anger had created. Looking equally concerned, their teacher walked to where Luna was and ordered for everyone not to crowd around her. She checked her student's pulse, nodding grimly before telling Misaki to perform CPR.

Narumi was quiet as he watched Misaki do as he was told. With an almost frightening expression of boredom on his face, the blond turned on his heel to make his way back to his dormitory, just in time to see the hatred that overtook the features of the president as she glared at Luna.

Narumi knew he had seen enough.

**x ~ x ~ x**

_Two days later, Alice Academy Medical Wing._

"I told you, I'm all right."

The brown-haired young man heaved a sigh, putting down the bowl of hot soup that he was holding. "I know, but you're not eating," he said, giving a slight shake of his head. "I wish you'd stop being stubborn."

Luna smiled at her friend. "I'm fine, Misaki. Really. It's just that I've been eating soup ever since I woke up," she told him reassuringly. Misaki had been her consistent visitor ever since she had woken up, and she was truly thankful for his concern. The young man had always been protective of her as her partner, and she was glad to know that he would still be there for her, even when they had been assigned new people to work with now.

It had taken her only a couple of hours to regain consciousness after being hauled out of the river, but their teacher and Misaki himself had both insisted that she should be confined in the hospital. This, of course, meant that she would miss some of her classes, although her teacher had been kind enough to write a letter to the rest of the faculty about what had happened.

Misaki heaved a resigned sigh. "All right. It's just that you'll be discharged in a couple of hours, and I don't want you randomly collapsing down the hallway because you didn't eat enough. You know I can't pick you up around that time because of class." His frowned deepened. "I should probably just ditch – "

"No way," she interrupted with a laugh. The last thing that she would ask of her friend was to cut classes for her. "It's fine, Misaki. Stop worrying about me. I can manage by myself. It's not as if I have any serious injury."

"You still have to go to the Student Representatives' office to discuss what happened two days ago," Misaki reminded her. "How are you going to tell them that it was her who pulled you down and not the other way around?"

She felt her lips twist into a playful grin. "I didn't stay here for two days doing nothing. Of course I've thought of something," she told him, leaning back against the soft pillows behind her. "Kana really made sure everything would look like it was my fault, but I think I can do something about it."

Misaki parted his lips as if to ask her to elaborate on her little plan, but it was then that the room to her door open. Without any warning and in that bored, haughty fashion that he always carried himself with, Narumi stepped inside the room, arching an eyebrow when his eyes met Misaki's.

"What are you doing here?" Narumi asked, shoving his right hand inside his pocket.

Misaki frowned, clearly disliking the blond's tone. That, and Luna knew how upset Misaki was by Narumi's lack of appearance for the last two days that she had been confined in the hospital. "I was checking on Luna and keeping her company."

Narumi didn't seem impressed by the answer. Instead he walked over to the basket of fruits on the bedside table, picking up a fresh red apple and taking a bite. "I'm here now. You can leave," he said, without even a glance at the person he was speaking to.

Luna watched Misaki stop himself before saying anything that he would regret afterwards, and reached for his arm. "It's all right, Misaki," she told him. She hoped it wouldn't sound like she was dismissing her friend, but the last thing she wanted to deal with right now was the two young men shooting each other death glares. "Classes will be starting again soon, anyway. You should be heading back now."

For a long moment, Misaki simply sat there, giving her a careful stare. "Are you sure you'll be fine?" he asked her, looking most unwilling to leave her with Narumi.

She flashed him a small, genuine smile. "Uh-huh."

Upon these words, the young man begrudgingly stand up from his seat and pick up his things, muttering something like 'call me if you need anything' under his breath. He adjusted the covers around her small form before finally acknowledging Narumi for the last time, throwing the blond a sharp look before taking his leave. "I'll see you tomorrow."

As soon as Misaki was gone, Luna let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "You didn't have to be so rude," she said, turning her head in Narumi's direction. The blond was still chewing on his apple, all the while looking at her blankly. "Misaki is my friend, and he has been looking after me since two days ago."

"I don't like him," he told her bluntly.

She blinked, surprised by his straightforwardness and the hostility in his tone. "I… " she trailed off, unsure what to say. She had always known that Narumi didn't like Misaki for some reason, but she didn't think he'd tell her about it so bluntly.

_Then again, he _is_ Narumi, _ she thought, narrowing her eyes. "He's my friend, Narumi. You don't have the right to be rude to him, especially after what he's done for me in the last two days." _You couldn't even drop by and at least check how I've been doing, _ she almost added, but stopped herself just in time. It wasn't as if she expected Narumi to act like a partner to her after their conversation two days ago. She was more than certain that he still doubted her and all the things that she had been doing for him.

And even if he did believe her, she knew that the last thing he would do was actually start caring about her. Narumi just wasn't that sort of person. The young man was too reserved, too unwilling to show anyone what he truly felt, except perhaps for the occasional arrogance and dislike for people in general.

Narumi only shrugged, tossing the half-finished apple into the trash bin before reaching for the napkin and wiping his hands with them. "I was out on another mission," he told her instead, as if not hearing anything that she had said.

She furrowed her eyebrows, slightly taken aback. "You just got out of the hospital two days ago," she said, the incredulity in her tone unmistakable. "Some of your wounds probably haven't even fully healed yet, and – "

"Not jumping into the water to save you actually helped," Narumi cut off, taking a seat on the couch beside her bed. "The healing alice was able to close much of it before we left during the evening of that day."

The young woman swallowed, unsure how to take all of this. Everyone had been telling her how Narumi hadn't even seemed to care about the fact that she had almost drowned, and how he didn't even join everyone else in trying to look for her. And she had believed them, all the while thinking that Narumi did all of it because he still had his doubts about her, and that he truly didn't care.

It was only now that she suddenly remembered his own condition, and the fact that he was a member of the Dangerous Ability. "B-But Misaki was here the entire time," she said, the first thing that came to mind. Whether she admitted it or not, it was a fact that she had been silently sulking about Narumi's apparent disregard for her. Misaki was a very good friend, but she had been completely disappointed by how it was him who were doing the things that Narumi was supposed to be doing as her partner.

She inwardly frowned, wondering why it all seemed to make her look like a clingy girlfriend.

"He's not a part of the team for that particular assignment. Of course he'll be here," Narumi practically scoffed, leaning back against his seat dismissively. "So are you going to the Student's Representatives' office this afternoon?"

The young woman frowned at the sudden change of topic, but decided not to pursue it any further. She knew Narumi enough to realize that he was going to refuse all her attempts at including Misaki in their conversations. "I will," she said. "They want to hear my side of the story."

"Is that still what they're telling you?"

She looked up from her bed, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Narumi shrugged. "Listening to your side of the story is nothing but formality, to make it appear like they're giving you and the class president a fair chance to tell your version of the story," he said. "They've already made up their mind that the president is innocent, and that you're guilty." He flashed her a lazy smirk. "You took so long to wake up, Miss Miyazawa actually convinced them that everything was your fault."

She found herself silenced by his words, and she turned her head to look at the cherry blossom tree outside her window. "I didn't do anything that she's accusing me of," she said quietly, unsurprised to know that Kana made it look like she was at fault.

"How are you going to tell them that?" Narumi asked, sounding unimpressed. "Didn't you say you thought of something?"

She smiled, returning her gaze to him. "I just made that up, silly. Misaki wouldn't have left if I told him I'm still stumped." She stifled a laugh at Narumi's incredulous look. It was so faint anyone else would have missed it, but she noticed it, and for some reason even she wasn't sure of, she was glad that her partner was at least showing her more expressions now. Somehow it calmed her, reminded her that Narumi was still nothing but a teenager like herself. "You should do that more often."

Narumi seemed distracted by this. "_What_?"

"Show more emotions," she told him, grinning widely despite her situation. She drew a breath, lifting her chin to fix her gaze at the ceiling. "You're good looking, you know. But when you show emotions – it makes you look even better."

There was a long pause. "You're still sick."

She giggled at this, pushing against the bed so she could sit up and look into his eyes. "I'm fine, Narumi," she assured him, unperturbed by the frown that had overtaken his features. Somehow she'd known that compliments were not one of the things that her partner usually dealt with. "I can handle Kana by myself."

"You just told me you haven't even thought up of anything to prove her claims wrong," Narumi pointed out, looking almost pissed off by her stubbornness.

"I'm feeling better, Narumi, but I'm not really in the mood to argue with her," she said. "Anyway, they'll probably just ask me to clean the library for a couple of weeks or something." She rubbed her temples, unwilling to talk about the class president any further. "It's nothing I can't handle."

Narumi was quiet after hearing this, his blank expression easily returning to his face. "So you're just going to let her get away with what she did?"

She heaved a sigh. "She really made sure I'd get blamed for what she did. Turning on the radio to mislead people into hearing a one-sided conversation…" She shook her head. "She even jumped into the water just to make her story believable." She glanced over to Narumi. "I'm going to tell the Representatives what really happened, but it's fine whether they believe me or not. I already appreciate the fact that they're still willing to listen to both of us."

Narumi stared back at her frankly. "You're an idiot."

She only laughed, taking no offense. "Probably," she said, before letting herself fall back into the pillows once more.

A long moment of silence fell upon the room for a long moment after that, neither alice uttering a single word. It was roughly half an hour later when the young woman finally decided to break it, her voice sounding so quiet from under the sheets. "Will you come with me to the meeting, Narumi?" she asked, crumpling the covers in her cold hands.

"Of course."

**x ~ x ~ x**

" – and the only thing that I could think of was that I had to grab onto something – " Kana stated in between her soft sobbing, uncharacteristically clenching a handkerchief in her hands " – so I grabbed Luna, and the next thing I knew was that we were falling together into the river." Her shoulders shook, her cheeks puffy and red from all her tears.

Luna listened to all of this in silence, one hand gripping Narumi's sleeves tensely. She had known that Kana would lie to everyone about what happened, but she had never expected that the girl would lie so brazenly right before her very eyes. Kana took on the role of the bullied so well, her tears spilling down her cheeks without end as she told the story that was all make-believe.

Luna swallowed, letting her gaze sweep the expressions of the people in the room. Aside from the two of them, Narumi and Kana's friend, the only ones in the meeting were the three Representatives who were supposed to decide on what punishment would be given, and to whom. So far the three looked sympathetic to the president, one of them even shooting Luna a sharp glare every now and then.

Not that Luna could blame them. She knew that all evidences were supporting Kana's statements, and she didn't even have any single thing that could prove otherwise. She only had her words, which wasn't much, especially without evidence to back her up.

"It was a good thing that I know how to swim, and I was able to go with the current and finally make my way to the riverbank," Kana said, wiping her tears away. "I could have died because of what Luna did – "

"You're lying," Luna interrupted, the words escaping her lips before she could stop herself. She bit her lip as soon as she found all eyes drawn to her, and she gripped Narumi's sleeves tighter if only to keep her own tears from falling. "It was Kana who pulled me down so I'd fall into the river – " she quickly explained, her heart pounding in her chest as she continued mouthing the words. Her hands were trembling and she could feel her shoulders shake, but she would be damned if she let the president make her seem like a liar when she was not. "She pretended that she was slipping, and when I was about to help her up, she pulled me down and – "

"Liar!" Kana shrieked, spring to her feet as her tears continued to fall. "How dare you lie about what happened! Everyone heard the radio transmission!"

Luna steadied herself, staring up at the president as she tried to sort out her thoughts. "Y-You were the one who turned on the radio so everyone would hear what you were saying," she said, feeling as if she was choking on her own words. "You knew that the game would only end if one of us proved unable to continue, so – " She caught her breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly as the stubborn tears started falling down her cheeks. "It was _me _ who would died there because of what you did."

Before Kana would react, one of the female Representative stepped forward, holding up a hand. The young woman looked unimpressed by the exchange of accusations, giving a slight shake of her head as she looked from the president to Luna. "This is enough," she told them. "Before we called both of you here, the Student Representatives have already conducted an investigation of our own."

"And?" Kana prompted.

"Everything that we have backs up your claims, Kana," the male Representative said, giving slight nod in the direction of the president. "The fact that you had the parcel in your pocket when we found you also convinces us that you were the one who climbed down to pick it up. A lot of people also heard the radio transmission just before you fell, when you were asking Luna to help you up."

The student looked over to Luna stood, giving a somber nod. "As you know, there were no witnesses to what happened two days ago. This means the only information that we have are severely limited to the statement from the teacher and your classmates, and your word against Kana's. We have listened to your version of the story, but as it is, we have no way of confirming it, and you've provided us no proof to dispute her claims."

"B-But… but I'm innocent!" Luna exclaimed, her tears ceasing as it suddenly dawned on her that Kana was going to get away with almost killing her. If that wasn't enough, this would also mean that she would look like she was the one who tried to kill the president but pushing her into the water! Luna turned her head in the direction of the president, panicked and incredulous as she made out the small smirk on Kana's lips. "It wasn't me! Please believe me!"

The Representative looked vaguely apologetic as he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Luna, but unless you have something to corroborate your claims _and _counter Kana's, our decision will not change." He glanced down to the papers on his desk. "Because of what you did, we will – "

"It seems that the Student Representatives are much more uncreative than I'd imagined."

The people inside the office were suddenly silent when they heard Narumi speak, surprise evident in their eyes. The young man stood indifferently next to his partner, the bored expression on his face as if mocking the intensity of what was being decided on inside the office.

"Is there anything you want to say, Narumi?" one of the female Representatives asked irritably.

Narumi shrugged, pulling away from Luna as he straightened up. "As a matter of fact, I do." A small smirk twisted the corners of his lips, seeming to enjoy the obvious infuriation of the three students he was talking to. "I'm surprised you can say there were no witnesses to what happened two days ago."

There was a brief pause. "_What?" _the female Representative demanded, confusion plastered all over her face. Inside the room, the other students had the same reaction, looking at the blond askance. Luna herself remained where she was seated, staring up at her partner with bewilderment in her eyes.

What _exactly_ was Narumi thinking?

The blond tilted his head to one side, looking as if he was speaking to a group of dumb children who couldn't even begin to understand what he was talking about. "This problem exists because it's Luna's word against the president's – something that can be resolved if you have a witness who can tell you what happened."

"You're just like Luna," Kana spat fiercely, before any of the Representatives could react. "You're just saying that to make them think I'm lying – "

"This witness," the male Representative started. "You mean you have a witness?" The look on his face reflected an internal conflict: He was skeptic of everything that Narumi was telling him, but as a Student Representative he was also supposed to be objective and hear it out.

Narumi nodded. "Of course. She is, in fact, inside this room with us."

A heavy silence ruled over the room once more. It was almost an entire minute later until a female Representative decided to break it, speaking up timidly. "Who… who is it?"

A humorless smile made its way to Narumi's lips. "The class president, of course."

**x ~ x ~ x**

"That's stupid!" Kana shrieked as soon as she found her voice. She stared up at the blond furiously, her cheeks flaring crimson in anger. "Of course I'm a witness to what happened! I was there! That's why I've been telling you that Luna pushed me and – !"

"Yes, and your version of the story is very different from hers," Narumi said coldly. Without waiting for the president to respond, he looked over to the Representatives. "Is it correct for me to assume that you know what my alice is?"

All three Representatives nodded hesitantly, as if confused by the question. "That's right," one of them said. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Neither the class president nor my partner is a reliable witness to give their side of their story," Narumi started. "They both have a motive to lie, or to change the details of what really happened so it would work to their advantage." He smirked. "Unless, of course, they are asked to tell everything _truthfully_."

The Representatives were quiet where they stood, as if contemplating his proposition. Beside him, Luna simply stared in shock, as if she was only then realizing what he was trying to do. "Well?" he prompted, starting to get impatient. These people were wasting his time.

The male Representative adjusted his glasses. "Are you certain that will work?"

"More than certain," he said.

One of the girls interrupted, unmindful of the quizzical glares from Kana. "How are we sure that there's no trick here?"

Narumi shrugged. "I'll give the command right here and now, and we can all listen to Miss Kana tell the story – "

"I don't understand," the president seethed, speaking through clenched teeth as she glared at her new classmate. "What _is _Narumi's alice, and how does this make things easier for you guys to decide on?" she demanded, clearly having no idea what Narumi's alice was able to do.

"Take a seat, Kana," the male Representative shushed, wasting no time to explain before switching his gaze to the blond. "Your proposal seems reasonable, Narumi. I don't see what we have to lose if we give it a try and ask both girls to tell the story again, this time with your alice."

A ghost of a smile graced Narumi's lips. "Shall I?"

The young man behind the desk nodded. "Please do."

Without missing a heartbeat, Narumi turned his head in the direction of the class president, a feeling of dark amusement seeming to sweep over him as he made out a hint of panic and fright in her eyes. He gave her a bland smile, just as he removed a ring around his finger – a gilt alice inhibiter that Luna herself had given to him on his first day in Alice Academy.

"My alice, Miss Miyazawa, is one that makes an honest person out of even the most terrible liar there is," he told her. "Now why don't you tell us what _really_ happened two days ago?

**x ~ x ~ x**

"That," Luna declared, letting herself fall on the couch without taking her eyes off Narumi, "was absolutely crazy." She extended her legs till she reached the other end, feeling herself loosen up as soon as her back touched the soft cushion. The latter part of the afternoon had been truly exhausting.

The two of them were finally back to her room after the meeting with the Student Representatives. The whole thing had been wrapped up quite nicely, and the young woman knew that she owed everything to Narumi. She never would have gotten out of that mess without his help.

Narumi shrugged, watching as his partner closed her eyes and lay her head against the armrest. "You should go to bed," he told her. "You need all the rest you can get so you can attend classes again."

The young woman squinted up at Narumi, giving him a weak smile. "Says the person who loves ditching," she breathes, the words coming out in a soft whisper. "You should go back to your room, Narumi. I know you're tired, too."

Narumi only arched an eyebrow. "Are you sleeping there?" he asked, a hint of approval in his tone as he stared at his partner. Luna didn't look like she had any plans of getting up anymore, and worse: She looked like she had already fallen asleep on him.

Not without frowning, the young man leaned over to his classmate and picked her up, careful not to make any sudden movement so as not to wake her up. They were halfway to her bed when she started muttering, as if not feeling the soft cushion against her back roused her from her sleep. "N-Narumi…" she called out, crumpling his shirt in her hands.

"What is it?" he asked, settling her down on her bed before gently removing her arms from around his neck.

The young woman was smiling as she buried her face in the pillows. "I'm glad… you're my partner…" She closed her eyes, her shoulders relaxing. "…thank you."

The young man was momentarily silent as he considered the words, his face devoid of emotion as he stared at the sleeping figure of his partner. It wasn't long until he decided he was wasting his time, and he leaned over to her. "But of course," he said, pulling the covers over Luna's small form as soon as her breathing steadied. He tucked some strands of her hair behind her ears, staring at the peaceful look that graced her features in her sleep.

"What kind of partner would I be if I left you all alone?"

**partner.  
**_(to be continued)_

* * *

Well that turned out much longer than I imagined it would be. Review if you liked it. :)

**Hilaire****  
11.03.12**


End file.
